The Lion Tamer (LoLu)
by meganshepz
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia owes Loke a favor after embarrassing him. She didn't expect this outcome! See how Lucy grows stronger and learns how to fight and love like a lion! (*inspired by Free Falling - if you've not read that yet, seriously go check it out. It was unfinished so we started our own parody to it.* ) /30 Chapters on the way. Don't be discouraged by feels ;)
1. Chapter 1: The Lion Tamer

Chapter One - The Lion tamer 

It was about 7:45am in the Fairy Tail Guild and it was a glorious day in the City of Magnolia!

The sun was slowly rising over the rooftops, casting a pretty orange glow into the windows of its many buildings. The early morning traders had already set up their market stalls on the cobbled streets and were chanting about their wares.

The grandest, most impressive building in the City was its Magical Guild Hall, Fairy Tail.

A place where wizards and mages can get work, make friends and feel at home and loved, when they had lost all else. It was one of the greatest magical guilds in all of Fiore!

Within its walls, this fine morning, Lucy Heartfilia, the busty blonde celestial wizard awaited the arrival of her spirit, Leo, The lion - Or more commonly known in these parts as Loke. The blonde was waiting patiently so they could head off on their mission (Which is kinda regretted agreeing to, since he's always trying to hit on her).

You see, the night before, Lucy made the mistake of making fun of her spirit, and as an apology, Lucy agreed to go on a private mission with him.

She sat at the bar sipping some warm coffee, and nibbled on a fresh blueberry muffin that Mira had just pulled from the oven.

'I probably shouldn't be eating this...'

She thought to herself. She didn't want to gain weight. Her figure had to be perfect for this mission!

'Wait No!' She furiously shook her head trying to erase her thoughts.

Mira interrupted, making her usual assumptions - which are almost always on point.

"Thinking about your date with Loke, huh Lucy?" She winked.

"It's not a date Mira! It's just a mission, and that's all." Lucy looked away, blushing uncontrollably.

"Okay. So you're thinking about your Dat-Err..Mission. Correct?" Mira was holding back a smirk.

Lucy nodded, and looked down at her half eaten muffin, stomach still rumbling.

"I suppose I'm just a bit nervous since it'll just be the two of us...I mean I trust him to protect me, but I don't know if I trust his...charm." She groaned thinking about the night before when he kissed her cheek, then just vanished - Oh yeah, he did that too as punishment!

"I'm sure it will be okay Luce! At least you'll get to keep all the reward money since he doesn't need it! Well, I believe that's what he said last night..." Mira said, comfortingly.

'Ahhh! Yes. I could finally buy that dress!' A big goofy grin spread across her face at the thought of all the reward money.

"Yeah that's right! And hopefully he won't destroy everything like...Natsu...Gray...and... "

Lucy lowered her voice to a whisper

"Erza..."

Mirajane giggled and nodded at her comment.

"Well I guess I'll go ahead and post the jobs for today." She grabbed a stack full of papers and walked to the mission board.

Lucy looked at the clock, it was 7:55am.

"Loke should be here any minute..." She gulped.

It was 7.59am and Mira had just posted the last job request. She stepped back both out of pride and also out of knowledge that if she stays there, there is a chance she'll get knocked down.

"All done!"

Mira said cheerfully.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

That was the noise that proceeded afterwards. The guild board started to be raided. The clock was ticking slowly towards 8am and within a few moments and the board was cleared again with guild members walking around and scraping between themselves. It was utterly savaged within moments!

Lucy hadn't even noticed the crowd of her guild members until she heard Mira shriek and move aside quickly.

She rushed into the crowd and tried to grab a job, but unfortunately the swarm of her fellow guild mates stopped her from doing so. As they scattered, Lucy stumbled to the board and saw a few sorry jobs left. Nothing too spectacular.

"Maid needed? Nah. I think I'll pass on that one..."

Lucy looked down and sighed. She was looking forward to the reward...and oh god that dress. She gritted her teeth trying to figure out what to do.

"I guess there's always next time."

Lucy looked at the clock again. 8:01am.

"Huh? I wonder where Loke is. He's never late."

Suddenly, that faint, alluring smell of aftershave and cologne drifted past Lucy. A smart cuff-linked arm appeared around her shoulder.

"What you staring at?"

The charming lion said casually, looking at the board with her. Loke was in a particularly good mood this morning. He was wearing a brand new, well fitted black Italian suit and his hair was perfectly shaped to accommodate the cute little lion ears poking out the top.

Startled by his presence, Lucy flinched as she saw her spirit, and...oh god did he smell delicious. Gahh no! Not those thoughts again. She stared at him, pouting.

"I'm looking at CRAP. All the good jobs were taken before I could get to them. I'm sorry..."

she shrugged slightly.

"Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait until more are posted huh?"

The lion looked at her with a glint in his eyes. Boy was he on form today.

"I saw the mad rush... Luckily I managed to grab one."

He pulled a page out off his jacket pocket smoothly and placed it in her hands. He smirked proudly at her and looked down at it, curiously. He'd not actually read what it said.. He just blindly grabbed it in the rush.

Lucy's face lit up when she laid eyes on the flyer.

"Ahhh thanks Loke!"

She took the paper and skimmed over it. After reading, she let out a big groan.

The job was to capture four bandits who have been terrorizing a small port town, using charm spells to lure in young girls for their own dark desires and urges!? Eck!

"Just great. This is going to be way too difficult! We can't capture 4 guys at once! And god knows what would happen to me if they caught me!"

The spirit mage frowned, all thoughts of the reward money (and the dress) vanished. Today wasn't her day, though Loke seemed to be in a extremely perky mood, more than usual. Lucy glanced up at Loke, waiting for him to give her some hopefully words.

"Please, with me at your side we'll be unstoppable!" He said confidently, with a little grin creeping across his lips.

"I admit… I didn't look at the page before I grabbed it. But an A class mission will be a piece of Cake!" He laughed.

"You can count on me! Oh and don't worry, I won't let them touch you." The light glinted across his shades as he smiled down at her.

"I don't know Loke...A-Are your sure?" She stared at him, as that big stupid grin spread across his face. She trusted him, she really did, but could they honestly do this by themselves?

"Oh maybe we could bring someone else with! I might have to split the reward, but I'll be okay!" She quickly suggested.

"We'll be fine. I am sure we'll make a great team!" He beamed, waving his hand about.

"We should go catch the train to the town shortly. You going to bring the rest of your breakfast with you?"

He pointed to her half eaten muffin with an even bigger grin. In all honesty, he was just pleased he'd been able to keep his arm around her shoulders this whole time without being swatted away. A slight snigger escaped his lips.

Lucy gave him a half smile, and nodded.

"If you say so!" She glanced over at her half eaten muffin. Her stomach growled loudly. She hoped her spirit didn't hear that... Embarrassed, she shook her head.

"N-no...I'm not hungry anymore." Lucy finally noticed his arm draped around her. Pushing him away she wrinkled her nose, and crossed her arms.

"No funny business okay?"

He held his hands up swiftly in defense,

"No funny business."

He smiled, "But the muffin is coming with us."

He pointed and carefully picked it up, placing it in his palm and carried it behind her.

"Can't have your stomach rumbling whilst fighting bandits-"

He laughed to himself. "-Otherwise I might just have to take you out to dinner myself."

Lucy puffed her cheeks and gave him one last intimidating glare (well she thought it was)

"Ehh?! You heard that?!"

She snatched the muffin from his hands and quickly headed out of the guild, towards the train station.

As they reached the station, Lucy quickly finished her muffin and leaned against a pole, waiting for Loke to purchase their tickets.

"Hurry up Loke!"

He couldn't help but smile continuously. He couldn't tell if it was getting weird or not. He purchased the tickets for the train and walked on over to her.

"We best hurry up, it leaves soon. We're in coach A."

He pointed to the far end coach. Little did Lucy know, he'd brought them a first class ticket. The miracle of being a charmer with 50 extra jewels got him pretty much everything he wanted. He took her arm and lead her to the coach.

Lucy noticed how smiley Loke was and couldn't help but blush. She thought to herself for a moment. 'He is kinda handsome isn't he-ahhh no no Lucy! Stop that!' She couldn't think Loke was handsome. Could she? Nah...it was probably just lack of sleep from the night before.

As he took her arm, oblivious to his charm, she went along with it and followed him onto the train.

"So where exactly are we sitting?"

"I thought you might like a Window seat." He said, helping her up onto the train. As they stepped on, you could instantly tell that this train carriage was fancy and expensive. Their seats were made of a fine red leather, with wooden frame. Their table looked like it was mahogany and was well polished. What made it better was the fact that they got a free pot of tea, served in a fancy silver tea pot!

Astonished by the amazing view of the carriage, Lucy gasped and removed her arm from his, inspecting every inch. She knew what fancy and expensive looked liked since she grew up with money..not too much love though.

"Oh Loke this is amazing! But you didn't have to do this. I swear I'll pay you back after our mission!"

Lucy sat down on the burgundy cushioned seat and let out a sigh of relief.

"Hmm. Is that...tea?" She perked up. Oh how she loved a nice cup of tea.

"You don't need to pay me back, It's my treat." The prince like spirit said happily, observing her interest in the tea.

"Yeah, It is. I love it, so got us a seat with complimentary tea. I think it's British..." He inspected it as he sat down. "Oh, it is. You can smell it." He inhaled its rich aroma. Mmm.

The lion was showing a rather fancy side he'd never shown Lucy before. He realised she had a weird look on her face at his reaction and tried to quickly change the subject.

"Aha... Anyway, the journey should take about an hour."

He was sitting beside her comfortably and poured them both some tea before the train departed. He hoped she didn't think he was a bit of a weirdo for knowing so much about tea. He shrugged it off trying to keep his cool like normal. What a goof.

"Don't argue with me! I'm paying you back!" Lucy protested.

She studied him, noticing he was acting...proper? She raised her eyebrow in suspicion, wondering if this was one of his get lucky tricks. She wasn't about to fall for it! Or maybe he wasn't faking?

"About an hour? Oh okay," she gazed up at Loke. His facial expression was calm. He was handsome. The way his ginger hair fell perfectly. His hazel eyes with the shards of gold that sparkled, making him even more irresistible…

She just couldn't stop staring at him.

The train began to depart, jolting forward, causing Lucy to fall against her partner, as tea spilled down her shirt. "Oh crap!"

Loke put his cup of tea down, "Are you alright?" He took his tie off and let her use it to dab herself down. He felt he'd probably seem a little too forward going straight in there and doing it himself, so he offered it to her cautiously.

"You're not burnt are you?"

Loke's tie was made of a fine red silk. He had gold lion head cuff-links on the sleeves of his high quality Italian suit, woven with fine cotton from the Celestial world.

Lucy cringed from the hot tea spilling on her. "Ahhh! Crap! Yeah I'm okay.." she watched him frantically take his tie off, allowing her to use it to dab her-now stained-white lacy top. The ties fabric felt smooth. Almost like silk-wait...it was silk! Lucy handed him his tie back.

"It's just a little burn. No biggie. I'm gonna have to...uhm...change my shirt." She blushed deeply thinking about having to change in front of him and quickly hid her face.

"I can look away if you want, you can change under my jacket." He removed his jacket and offered it to her. What was this? He's taking his clothes off for Lucy already.

In his mind (his dirty little mind) he had hoped it would eventually be the other way around. Still, the gentleman in him urged him to do so. He was raised a proper gentleman so he will act like one for her. He looked at the tea stains.

"Do you have any clothes to change into?" He asked, tilting his head.

Surprised by his actions, Lucy's eye's widened. He didn't want to watch her?! The girls of the guild always made him out to be some big pervert, too!

"O-oh thank you." She took his fancy jacket and gave him a genuine smile. She liked this side of Loke a lot. Snapping back into reality, she realized she forgot her bag at the guild.

"Damn! I forgot my luggage! How will I brush my hair?!" She smacked her forehead and slumped over. "I'm such an idiot..."

Loke burst into a big grin,

"What would you do without me! Hold on, I'll fix this for you."

He vanished into a flurry of golden light. He then reappeared moments later with a pretty top in his hands - which would easily compliment her current outfit and those big beautiful eyes. Celestial world delights! He also gave her one of the most glorious looking hair brushes the human world may have ever seen. It had little rubies in the back. He didn't see it as anything special. "Here you go! These should do the trick." He said, as he handed them over to his owner.

Lucy always went crazy over celestial clothing and accessories. She shrieked when she saw the top. It was absolutely perfect. And oh god. That brush! It was so glamorous! She ran her fingers across the rubies.

"Loke, you're too kind." She leaned over and hugged him, and surprisingly to Loke, placed a quick peck on his cheek.

Lucy turned around and pulled her bow out, allowing her golden locks to fall down. She then removed her tea stained top, quickly slipping the new one on. It fit her body perfectly. Hugging her curves. And wasn't to tight!

She proceeded to run the beautiful brush through her hair slowly.

Loke had a feeling she'd like them. He almost glowed when she kissed his cheek,

"Aha, it was nothing Lucy." He picked up his tea and sipped from it, trying with every part of his being to look at her, and not stick his pinky finger out as he drank from the cup. GOD ITS HARD. He kept a straight face whilst concentrating,

"Do you like them?" He asked, flicking his eyes back to her.

She finished brushing her hair and turned around. "I love them." She had a different kind of smile. It was brighter than usual. She noticed his pinky twitch and let out a giggle.

"So What do you think fancy butt?"

He looked at her and put the cup down.

"Fancy butt?" He knew exactly what she was talking about. Dammit she saw!

He smiled, "I am glad you like them!"

He looked at her hair and that cheerful smile on her face, and tilted his head happily. "You and I try so hard to look great, only to get it all messed up on a mission. Heh. Figures huh?"

"Yes! Fancy butt!" She smirked at him and grabbed her cup of tea, crossing one leg over the other like a lady. Sipping the tea she closed her eyes savoring the rich taste.

"Ahhh..now that's what I call tea. She used her right hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced at Loke. "Hmm. I guess we just like to make a fabulous entrance huh?" She laughed.

"I always aim to make a fabulous entrance!" He laughed.

"But it's not that hard being someone who has golden magic, huh?" He smiled, admiring her hair as the light shined over it.

He found himself being lost for a moment, before snapping back to reality.

"-Oh we're almost here!"

She looked out the window of the train, watching the the land fly past. She felt like someone was watching her. "Hm?" She turned back towards Loke who seemed to be in a daze.

Before Lucy could comment he blurted out that they were almost to our destination. "Already? Wow time sure does fly."

The train came to a halt. Lucy sipped the last of her tea and gathered her things. "How much was that reward again?" She walked beside Loke. Feeling safe for the first time in awhile.

Loke held his jacket over his shoulder, having already fixed his tie back in place.

"The reward?" He looked at the page again,

"50,000 Jewel per bandit, Why?" He said like it was nothing. The lions concept of money was shot. He had things that would be expensive in the human world but they were just handed to him in the spirit world.

"5-50,000 JEWELS?! PER BANDIT?! thats..."

Lucy calculated the numbers together and her eyes grew huge.

"That's 200,000 jewels...for all four..." Lucy nearly fell off the train when she realized how much money she would receive.

"Holy...crap..and you said that like it was nothing!" She grabbed Loke's arms and shook him. "YOU'RE TAKING HALF!"

Later...

Lucy walked into a pub in town. She was wearing an emerald green crop top and a skirt short enough for the bandits to notice her. She sipped on a cocktail when she heard a door slam open.

In walked a medium height fat man, only wearing a dirty sweat stained tank and some greasy old jeans. He had a 5 o'clock shadow and a cuban cigar hanging from his mouth.

Lucy wanted to scrunch her nose in disgust, but knew it would foil their plan. Instead she locked eyes with him and winked. The fat man gave her a grinch like grin, bearing his yellow teeth and hobbled towards the busty blonde.

Lucy's lion sat at a table with a pint of ale, waiting to pounce when the time was right. He'd changed into something casual to blend in. His expensive suit would of drawn far too much attention to himself. He sat in his green fluffy jacket and black jeans. He carefully watched from behind Lucy, sipping his ale, noticing a few men leave the bar quietly. They all had the same Tattoo's as the guy chatting Lucy up. He was disgusted by this type of man, he glared from behind his tinted shades.

The man leaned against the bar and smirked at Lucy.

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing here? Don't you know about the bandits? They might getcha!" He spat his words.

Lucy almost gagged when she caught a whiff of his foul breath.

"Oh I'm just on vacation. I wanted to get away. And no need to worry about me sir. I'm tough!" Lucy gave him a halfassed smile, but he fell for it.

The man leaned closer to Lucy, a little bit too close for comfort.

"How about I set you up in my hotel a block away?" This was the perfect opportunity!

"Oh and what's your name little lady?" He gazed over her body licking his lips.

"O-oh my name is...Christie!" This was really happening…

He gave her a smug look.

"And you are?" She tried to say genuinely.

"They call me Sonny."

AHA! So it was him. Lucy followed behind him and glanced over at Loke making eye contact with him and mouthed the words "five minutes."

Loke subtly pulled out a pocket watch and held her to it, he set it for Five minutes. He glanced back down at the ale, nursing it slowly. The lion polished his rings trying not to draw attention to himself. Loke could smell Sonny from where he was sitting, so he dreaded to think what sort of pain Lucy's nose was in. As Lucy slipped away, the lion had finished his drink and had since vacated his seat quietly, sneaking out the back of the bar in the opposite direction to which Lucy left. He had a better idea than looking like he was stalking her.

Lucy followed the man into a small white stoned building. The lights were dim, making it hard to see. The man hobbled behind a wood top desk and pulled out something from one of the draws. To Lucy's ears it sounded like something heavy. She gulped and reached for her whip, ready to spring into action. She could hear her heart pounding.

"If you feel threatened and endangered, you can always speak with me through my key. I'll always do my best to be there. I am your knight in shining Armour!" Loke remembered saying this to Lucy after he first gave her his Key. He smirked slightly as he ran, nimbly across a rooftop. He was hunting...

Lucy eyed the man's every move. Her heart was racing so fast. Whatever he had pulled out was quickly raised to her. It was a a gun. A black powder pistol to be specific.

A sadistic grin grew on Sonny's face.

"Didn't I tell you the bandits would getcha?" He added a wicked laugh.

Lucy tried to stay calm. Her fingers traced her whip.

"Now follow me and you won't get hurt."

She nodded and walked in front of him. She felt the pistol poke her back making her almost shake in fear. 'You've got this Lucy! And besides, Loke told me that if I feel in danger, all I had to do was speak to him through his key.' She couldn't help but smile when she remembered his words. They were so sincere and flowed from his mouth with ease. He really did care about her.

Feeling less threatened - Lucy was pushed into one of the hotel rooms.

It was awful. Dust coated the puke green drapes, and the bed was small - Maybe a full sized mattress that sunk in the middle. The sheets didn't look too clean either and smelt almost as bad as Sonny did.

Sonny cleared his throat and grabbed Lucy by the arm, forcing her to face him.

"Now you're gonna do as I say. Take your clothes off, and lay on the bed." His grip almost crushed Lucy's arm.

She choked at his comment. "S-Sir don't you think what you're doing is...immoral?" She tried to clean convince him to end his terror.

"Ha, immoral you say? I don't give two shits about that. I just know that I am a man with urges. Now do as I said!" He grit his teeth and lifted the gun right to Lucy's heart.

She squeezed a fist letting out a sigh before she began to remove her top. She closed her eyes. and whispered 3 small words. "Love, save me..."

Within an instant, A blinding golden light appeared outside the small shabby window, lighting up the dark, disgusting room. Sonny squinted and went to draw the one moth eaten curtain across.

"Heh, I've Got you..." The lion said into his key, his voice calm, deep and clear.

Loke saw Sonny's fat shadow pass over the window.

"REGULUS BLAST!" He roared causing his light to fill the streets outside, golden light crept through the curtains, getting brighter and brighter.

There was a crumbled yelling noise getting rapidly closer and closer to the window, the light following it extremely fast.

"Lucy, get down!" He demanded through his key.

Lucy saw a flash of golden light appear through the window Sonny was draw too. It was Loke! Oh thank god. She heard him through her key telling her to get down and quickly scrambled over to the bed. It was too late. She heard a shot go off from the pistol.

She landed next to the bed, out of harm's way...but DAMNIT. She felt a pain shoot up her right arm. Looking over she noticed the bullet had grazed her arm. And man did it sting like a bitch! She held her wound and curled up, waiting for Sonny to be blasted away.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The light clashed powerfully with the window, also sending a second bandit into Sonny. He'd been beaten up pretty badly. The blast shot a large hole through the wall.

As the dust cleared, you could see Sonny and another bandit crumpled over the top of him but still conscious (barely), covered in rubble.

Loke glared at them from the opposite roof top. He lowered his palms from there he'd aimed his attack.

"No one touches my lady!"

He leapt down and ran towards the large hole in the wall, his body glowing gold, back into his suit.

Lucy heard the wall explode, and Sonny let out a blood curdling scream. She waited until everything was calm before sitting up and peeking over the bed. Seeing another bandit on top of Sonny. Woah...

Then she heard Loke say "No one touches my lady." Which caused her to blush uncontrollably, forgetting about the pain in her arm.

She pushed herself up just as Loke leaped into the hole in the wall. She was relieved. "Thank you Loke..."

He rushed over to her.

"Are you alright?" He looked her up and down, "I heard a gunshot." He glanced at her arm,

"Man that could've been worse. Stay still a moment."

He took off his tie quickly and used it as a bandage. Man, he was glad he wore ties. Multipurpose uber soft silky ties! This one didn't have tea on it either. It was another silk tie with black tiger stripes this time!

The explosion had caused quite a bit of commotion in the area (but at least it was just one wall he destroyed, and not an entire city, right?)

"I'm alright Loke-." She listened to him ramble on, with worry in his voice. She titled her head and smiled at her spirit as he took his tie off and wrapped it around her wound.

"Hey I said I'm okay."

She placed her hand on his shoulder trying to get his attention. "Well, thanks to you I'm still alive."

She reached her hand up and removed a small piece of drywall from his hair, quickly giving his ear a well deserved scratch.

He smiled at her and tilted his head slightly towards the ear scratch without realizing he was doing it. "Heh, two down..." The two men were groaning, trying to call for back up. Loke sighed and turned his head away from the glorious scratch he was receiving.

"Do you two mind?!"

He raised his fist and sent a quick jolt of Regulus at them, to knock them out. He pursed his lips.

The moment was ruined. Two more men burst through the door and stopped, taking in the scene for a moment.

"W-Who the hell are you!?" The two ugly looking brutes croaked, raising their pistols at Loke and Lucy. Loke stood back in front of Lucy, defending her from them.

Lucy giggled at her spirits reaction. She heard Sonny and the other man groan and just like that, Loke used a quick Regulus beam to knock them out. She saw him tense up.

"Hm? Are you o-"

Before she could finish her sentence the other two bandits busted through the door and Loke stood in front of her, defending her. She looked up at Loke who was still quite tense.

Lucy stepped to the side and closed her eyes, pulling out her whip and snapping it once.

"You shouldn't have interrupted boys."

Lucy drew her hand back and slugged it forward, wrapping it around one of the bandits neck and threw him against the wall. She was actually enjoying that moment with her spirit as well. Lucy smirked as she saw the last bandit try and make a run for it before wrapping her whip around his neck as well. "Tsssh."

Loke blinked at Lucy's fast reaction. To say the least, he was very impressed. He broke into a smirk. Loke walked over to the current tied bandit confidently, tilting his head at him softly.

"In a bit of a pickle aren't you?" He laughed and sent a swift, precise punch right up into his jaw, knocking him back down. He didn't even use any magic that time. It didn't feel right too.

He looked down at the man who was flat on his back, noticing the ruby imprint his ring just left on his jaw. "Oops, Need to be more careful. Might ruin a good ring that way." He chuckled and turned to the guy Lucy slammed into the wall.

"That was some skilled whip use. May I inquire as to how you became so skilled with a whip?" He gave her a slightly, cheeky smirk.

He walked over to the guy whose face slid down the dented wall. He pressed his rather shiny shoe onto his head, and wiggled it around to see if he was conscious.

Lucy pushed her hair back, and was ready to slam this last idiot into the wall, when she noticed Loke stroll over to him, and to her surprise, upper cut him, and knock him out!

Her eyes grew wide. She knew he was strong, but he didn't use magic this time, only his bare hands. Eyeing his every move she noticed the ruby ring on his finger. It was spectacular!

She was soon startled by his words.

"Ahh...Virgo taught me-" She frowned,

"-Get your mind out of the gutter!" She quickly added.

Lucy eyed up her partner, and watched him glide over to the bandit Lucy had thrown into the wall without hesitation. That was the only bandit she had defeated. Lucy pouted, she realized Loke had done all the work. He should get the reward money. Not her.

"Loke, I didn't even do much to help. You did everything. I don't feel right keeping the reward..." Although she really needed it and was gah-gah over that dress, she knew what the right thing to do was.

"What are you talking about? You caught 2 bandits! "

The one under his foot grumbled. He blinked and looked down at him in annoyment. He lowered his voice to him with a glare through his shades.

"Would you do me a favour and knock yourself out please?" He smiled down at him from under his foot.

"Nooo I only defeated one. You knocked out three of them. And ugh! See, mine isn't even knocked out."

Lucy smacked her forehead. She needed to train more. That should have knocked him out. Swiftly she walked over to the bandit, embarrassed and frustrated by her lack of skill she took a deep breath.

"One way or another I'm defeating you." Much to Loke's surprise, she raised her foot and slammed the heel of her boot into the bandits jaw. KOing him.

"Let's get these idiots out of here, collect our reward, and leave before I end up doing this to someone else."

He burst out laughing at the legendary Lucy kick! "Woah!" He stepped back, not wanting to feel it either.

"Nice hit! Alright, lets claim your reward" He beamed as he tossed one on his shoulder and dragged another by the scruff of his neck. "If you tie them up they will be easier to drag to the police station"

Lucy nodded, still very frustrated and proceeded to tie up the remaining idiots and dragged them across the ground.

They soon arrived at the police station. About 6 officers rushed out and took the bandits into custody. The sheriff walked out with a large manila envelope and handed her the reward.

Loke looked at the irritated look on Lucy's face. It was cute. He always thought Lucy looked cute when she got angry. He couldn't help but smile and hold back a gentle laugh. "Good work Lucy!" He walked over to her, "Happy shopping awaits". That charming smile was back on his face, he looked down into her eyes happily. He'd enjoyed his mission alone with Lucy.

"We make a good team you know..." The lion said.

Puzzled, she thought to herself. 'We make a good team?'

They had only been on one so far. So she couldn't make as quick a judgment as he did. "So far we do, but this is only our first mission together. So don't get your hopes up!" she said, walking out in front.

Later...

Lucy plopped down onto the train seat. Her arm was extremely sore, but was now properly sanitized and wrapped in gauze. Her eyes were heavy. All she wanted to do was sleep…

Loke sat beside her sipping on a cup of coffee. He looked over to her and leaned back on the chair, and tilted his head to look at her. "You look sleepy." He said gently.

Lucy yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Extremely tired.." and to Lokes surprise she laid her head against his shoulder. She was mumbling nonsense about the dress, and then closed her eyes smiling. "You're actually quite comfortable Loke..." before he could reply, she was fast asleep…

Loke glanced down at her. He smiled softly.

"Heh. Cute."

He put his arm around her to keep her warm (and because he could) and looked out the window, watching the day slowly turn into night. He was pretty happy. 'Taurus would be so jealous.' He grinned, broadly at the thought. The train journey was a peaceful one.

Lucy woke up in a haze, and a bit grumpy from only sleeping for an hour. She stretched her arms upward, and quickly hopped off the train with Loke. It was night time now. Probably around 9o'clock. The night air was harsh. Lucy shivered from head to toe. She looked up at her partner and gave him a half assed smile.

"I guess we part ways here?"

She pulled out the manila envelope and handed him half the reward.

"And don't argue with me...you deserve it."

He frowned. "Lucy. I don't need money. If I let you keep it, can we do this again sometime?"

He asked, casually wrapping his jacket over her shoulders to warm her up.

"I had fun. All I wanted was to spend time with you not earn money." He smiled warmly at her finally, looking down into her bigs eyes. He was pretty tired himself but the lion, being the endurance master he is, managed to hide it pretty well, or so he thought.

Lucy's eye's grew wide. To think that he risked himself just to spend time with her? She was absolutely speechless for the time being. All she could do was smile.

The way he looked at her and touched her felt natural. It was almost like he loved her-wait...did he?

Her mind was racing after that crazy thought. He couldn't really love her could he?

Immediately she locked eyes with him, noticing how tired he was. She knew he was trying his best not to show it.

But the real question was 'Am I starting to fall for him?' Lucy tried to search for the answer in his eyes.

He tilted his head as she didn't answer him, only stare back. 'Did I say something wrong? This is intense...'

"Come on, I'll walk you home." He was keeping to his promise of no funny business, even if that intense stare just then pushed every urge he had to the limit. Argh today sure was exhausting.

He smiled and popped his arm over her shoulder again, resting it over his jacket. He popped the Manila envelope subtly back in her bag without her noticing.

She lost her train of thought when he offered to walk her home. She wasn't going to argue with him. To say the least she was quite happy that he wanted to.

As he draped his arm over her she leaned in closer, trying to stay warm.

The walk with Loke was peaceful. Neither spoke. The only sound was the satisfying crunch of the leaves below them, a few owls hooting in the distance, and the trickle of a small creek near by.

Loke's heart sank seeing the street appear in-front of him as he walked with her. 'Why doesn't Lucy live further away?'

It's common for people to have awkward silences but this didn't feel awkward at all.

He bit his lip trying not to showing he was breaking into a smirk at the thought. This was nice.

His gaze rolled back to Lucy's head which was resting comfortably on his shoulder. Did Lucy do this as she was just tired or was she finally warming to him? This was it, he couldn't hold the smirk back anymore. It broke across his lips stupidly.

Loke's shades sat in his pocket as it was too dark to wear them, his cotton shirt fitted his torso well, but was dirty from the rubble earlier. With his arm around Lucy, his golden and expensive looking cuff links were visible. The lion heads had tiny ruby eyes, matching his signature ring.

"Home is in sight..."

He said, as her apartment drew closer. The handsome lions voice was quiet and content. It had that low, velvety tone to it as usual.

Lucy frowned at the thought of her destination growing closer. She was so exhausted, but she didn't want this to end. She felt so content.

As they approached her apartment building she looked at Loke through the corner of her eye. She saw a large smirk spread across his face. 'What was that all about?' She wondered.

Lucy stopped walking and nearly choked at the way his words hit her like a brick. She felt a pain in her chest that she couldn't get rid of. Why? Why was she so upset? She was so confused. Just yesterday she was swatting at him to leave her alone, but now she didn't want him to go at all.

She cleared her throat and spoke with a melancholy tone. "Oh yeah... Thanks again Loke..I appreciate your kindness."

She pulled away from him and slipped his jacket off, handed it to him. "G-Goodnight Loke.."

She turned around, and shoved her hands into her pockets, her head still hung down, and she started to walk towards her building. She knew she wouldn't sleep tonight. There was too much on her mind and her stomach had butterflies. She just had to figure out what this feeling was. Never has she felt this way towards anyone. Never..

Loke stood holding his jacket, watching her try and find her keys. She was avoiding him all of a sudden. He tilted his head. Interesting...

He'd restrained this much, he just couldn't help himself anymore. Her lion leaned in from behind, gently tilting her head up. He pressed his lips tenderly onto her skin, and gave her the softest, slightest peck on the back of her neck, just below her ear. His warm breath was a stark contrast against the cold air.

His voice like velvet, gentle and quiet. "Good night, Lucy. I'll see you tomorrow..."

His eyes gazed softly at her as he stood back thinking he'd be swatted for what he'd just done. He slowly began to sparkle and fade away with a satisfied but happy smile.

"Sleep well, Beautiful…" His voice trailed away.

Lucy, who was fumbling for her keys, felt Loke press his lips against the back of her neck. She stiffened. Why was she not angry? She was more aroused than anything. Kyaaa! This is very confusing!

Lucy looked back towards her Lion and spoke with a stutter "P-Perh-haps s-so..." she tried to hide her hot, beet red face. She proceeded to quickly walk up the stairs and into her apartment. As soon as the door closed she pressed her back against the door, letting out a huge sigh. "Oh...my...god." That Loke was such a tease…

After about two hours of pacing back and fourth in her kitchen, Lucy couldn't figure it out!

She slipped her day clothes off and put on something more comfortable. A rosy pink spaghetti strap tank, and some black lace bikini cut panties. Making sure her door and Windows were locked so Natsu couldn't pop up in the morning to interrupt her (or see her half naked), she crawled into bed and snuggled a pillow underneath the covers tightly.

She thought about everything that happened that day. Why couldn't she figure this out? Maybe some sleep would help her process everything better. She closed her eyes, and drifted off into a deep sleep...

Loke let out a soft laugh as he returned back to the spirit world, slowly removing his tie and taking off his cuff links, neatly placing them on the side. "Not long now, Lucy. You'll come around... One day. For now, just get some well deserved sleep."

He strolled across the polished floor of his larger than life celestial room. He removed his suit and tossed it behind him. The lion then flopped back onto the world's most glorious bed and stared at the ceiling, questionably.

He raised his hand and waved it across in-front of him, opening up the ceiling so he could see the sky. His glance was interrupted as he looked at his ring. He blinked and stared at it for a while before taking it off and putting it on the side next to him.

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy... Who would of thought you could tame a lion?" He grinned, drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Ghosts

**Chapter Two - Ghosts.**

Lucy awoke just before sun rise. Groaning, she stretched and staggered out of bed and looked up at the clock.

5:40am?! She hadn't been up this early in awhile.

The smell of freshly brewed Italian roast coffee filled her apartment. As she waited for it to finish brewing she threw on her favorite pair of jeans, her brown hiking boots, and a long-sleeve shirt, white with royal blue sleeves. She quickly brushed out her hair and threw it into a ponytail with a blue bow that matched the blue in her shirt.

Lucy poured her coffee into a mug, took a sip, and savoured the rich taste. The blonde sat down on her love seat, and gazed down into the cup. Her reflection appeared. She remembered last night and frowned. She hadn't figured out what this feeling was yet - And she really wanted to. It was killing her!

She swirled her coffee around and allowed it to settle again so she could see her reflection, but what she saw wasn't her. Not even close. She dropped the cup, spilling coffee all over her hardwood floor. Her heart sunk to her feet and with a shaky voice whispered

"Karen..."

Loke, unaware of what just happened appeared quietly in her kitchen, pouting as he looked for flour and eggs. He put a pot of celestial maple syrup on the side and found a frying pan. He turned on her hob with a smug grin. The sneaky lion.

Today Loke wore a very fetching light blue shirt, smart trousers and a white leather belt with gold buckle. He had a different tie on, this time it was red with tiny black dots. Very handsome as always and he smelt divine once more.

He put all the ingredients together for pancakes then noticed the kettle had been boiled. _She's already awake!? Damnit!_ He wanted to surprise her.

Little did he realise that showing up in someone's house uninvited is usually enough of a surprise for normal people.

Lucy was shaking. She didn't even care about the spilled coffee. Why did she just see Karen? Was this some sign? Lack of sleep? Over thinking? Was she just going crazy? Snapping back into reality, Lucy jumped up and sprinted to the kitchen for a towel to clean up the mess.

She came to a halt when she saw Loke standing in her kitchen, looking as handsome as always, while she looked like Hell. _Damnit!_

"L-Loke what are you doing here so early?" she said with a shaky voice.

"Well, I was planning on cooking you some pancakes as a surprise before you woke up... But I guess you caught me." He said, holding a whisk in his hand, casually.

But something wasn't right in her voice, "Are you okay?" He tilted his head at her.

Lucy wanted to smile at the thought of Loke making her breakfast. He was so kind, but after her experience, she just couldn't. And how the hell was she supposed to tell him what she just seen? That's just not something you just blurt out.

She thought back to the day Loke became her spirit. The way he broke down, blaming himself for Karen's death. She nearly lost him, but thankfully the spirit king heard her out.

Lucy decided it was best to ignore it. She didn't want to upset Loke or have a serious conversation this early in the morning. So she looked up at him with a fake ass smile, thinking she was fooling him, or so she thought. "Yeah I'm alright. You just startled me, that's all"

He looked at her and put the whisk down. Loke strode over to her and gently put his hands on her shoulders. He tilted his head at her curiously. It really did look like he was going in for more...

Instead, he happily lead her to her table and sat her down.

"A little breakfast made by yours truly will fix you up. Sorry for startling you."

Loke knew from his vast experience with women that the _'I'm fine/I'm alright'_ thing was never what it seemed. He sensed she didn't want to talk about it, so he decided to try cheer her up instead.

Lucy tried to keep her composure, but when Loke rested his hands on her shoulders she was sure he was going to kiss her. Oh god...her first kiss! Was she ready? And with Loke? Gahhh!

But when he sat her down, instead of kissing her like she thought he would she went cross eyed with confusion.

"You're gonna cook?" She said with a sarcastic tone and laughed.

"I didn't know lions could cook!" A smirk crept on her face amused by the thought.

"Ooh. You don't think I can cook?" He gave her a smug grin.

"I'll have you know I'm one of the best cooks in the celestial world" He winked at her and walked back into the kitchen. "Just you watch me." He said, walking away and back into the kitchen.

His clothes hugged his slim figure, and his trousers were well fitted too...Making his ass look amazing! Oh yes it did.

Loke started flipping some of the fluffiest looking pancakes he'd seen in a while. He kept that smug grin plastered on his face, pretty impressed with how smoothly this was going.

"Oh is that so? Well my taste buds will be the judge of that!"

Lucy replied. He was so confident. Which made him even more desirable. And oh..oh my. She hadn't noticed how great that suit looked on him. She had never noticed the small details about him until yesterday. _His ginger hair was always perfect and smooth looking_. She yearned to run her fingers through it. _His slim figure, and the way he arched his back..._ Lucy bit her lip when she fantasized about him shirtless. _Hnnnggg...and that ass!_ Err...now the tables have turned. Lucy was gawking over her spirit while he was being a perfect gentlemen. What the hell was going on with her?

Her nose twitched at the smell of Loke's pancakes. "That smells delicious..."

He rolled his head back to her smoothly, "The smell is the first sense that should be tantalized. Then the rest of your senses should come into play..."

He looked down at her.

"My favorite being taste and touch..." He grinned, noticing her dreamy look.

Lucy almost fell out of her chair when he spoke. She caught the edge of the table and dug her nails into the wood. _Damn! He did it again!_ Was he purposely trying to torture her? _He'll regret this later!_

He flipped more pancakes and piled them onto a plate, then brought them over. They were fluffy, soft and perfect. He offered them to her with the celestial maple syrup. He sat opposite, sipping a coffee.

Licking her lips, she grabbed a few pancakes. Just the smell made her mouth water. "Hmm...Celestial syrup?" she loved everything from the spirit world. Including their burgers. Mmm! She shrugged, poured a fair amount of it on her pancakes, and began to dig in.

Holy...mother of god. These were the best pancakes she had ever tasted. They were oh so fluffy. And the syrup wasn't too sweet. All of this made Lucy's taste buds explode. "Oh god Loke...this is amazing." She said with her mouth half filled with pancakes. "I should summon you every morning. Mmm!"

Loke smirked at Lucy, laughing softly as he drank from his cup of coffee. "Heh, feel free. I'd quite like that..."

What he loved more was Lucy's reaction to his cooking. He grinned to himself. He was pleased he could make at least one of her senses go out of control, even without touching her. The lions ego couldn't be any bigger than it was, but this was the cherry on-top.

"I don't just cook breakfast you know. " Loke winked at her. The lion was happy he could spend more time with her like this. Alone.

"You cook other things? Oh, can you cook Italian!?" Lucy absolutely loved Italian food. And she hadn't been able to find any good Italian food around Magnolia in a while. The sauce was always bland and the pasta was too rubbery.

Loke rested his head on his palms and looked back at her with a smirk.

"Can _I_ cook Italian?"

His clothes were Italian, his charm was basically Italian. This was his specialty.

"Of course I can cook Italian! Would you like Italian tonight?" He asked, inviting himself over, confidently.

Lucy perked up, leaning forward, now face to face with him.

"Seriously? You would do that for me?" She said with a high pitch tone as a huge grin spread across her face.

"I would do anything for some lasagna!"

Lucy realized how close their faces were, probably too close for comfort. Her cheeks grew red and she looked away. "Ahh...Soo.." she tried to quickly think of something to say.

" _Anything_ for Lasagna? All you need to do is ask." He grinned, knowing he could of asked for a lot more than that, but that came with a risk of being slapped. He's felt Lucy's slaps on a few occasions now and they were not tame! He continued to smile at Lucy, noticing how close she came to him. His eyes flicked down to her lips but snapped back to her eyes when she spoke up.

"-So when is our next mission?"

"Oh, whenever you want beautiful~" Loke replied.

He picked up his coffee and sipped from it, sitting back on the seat with perfect posture.

"We could do a small one today. We still have an hour or so until Mira puts the jobs up."

"We better get there before the crowd gets all the good jobs like yesterday!"

Lucy quickly scoffed down the rest of her pancakes. Lucy could feel her spirit staring at her, but to her own disbelief she didn't mind it. She found it kind of cute.

As Lucy threw her bag over her shoulder, she grabbed Loke by the wrist and nearly dragged him out of the apartment. She was so excited to spend more time with Loke. Hopefully this would help her figure out what these feelings were.

All of a sudden Lucy heard someone hiss in her ear.

 _"Don't trust him. He's the reason I'm dead...and you could be next."_

She stopped and let go of Loke.

' _What the hell?'_

She thought back to this morning when she saw Karen. Was it her voice? Loke would never hurt Lucy. _Would he? Nah, of course not! That's ridiculous._

She heard an annoying blue exceed flying above here yelling down at the both of them.

Loke tilted his head, confused. "What is i-?" He edged forward but was interrupted.

"Oooooo they're in loooooveeee!" The exceed yelled loud enough for a good amount of people to hear.

Everyone stared at the two so called _love birds. Kyaaa!_

"You stupid flea bag! I'll kill you!" Lucy's words were harsh. It took every ounce of willpower Lucy had to not stick her lion on Happy.

This only made Loke smile in response. She was getting so angry.

"Is that what they're saying?" He walked to her side, and said in a suave tone.

"That means they're going to get to the guild before us!"

Lucy saw the crowd of people headed towards the guild.

"Dammit! Why is everyone awake so early?"

She was determined to get a good job. Again, she grabbed Loke's wrist and pushed through the crowd of her guild mates. People were making comments about the way she was dragging poor Loke.

"She must have him whipped." Someone muttered to another.

"Are they dating?"

"I heard he spent the night with her last night."

Lucy rolled her eyes and kept pushing through the crowd listening to their nonsense.

As they busted through the crowd, Mira had hung up the last job on the board.

Right before the crowd could trample her and Loke, she turned around sharply and treated the crowd to a severely pissed off look. Everyone stopped and stared at Lucy. She looked fierce!

"Yesterday, All of you savages took all of the good requests, but not today! I'm going to walk over to that freaking board and take my time looking at the request. You can wait FIVE MORE FREAKING MINUTES CAN'T YOU!?" She demanded.

You could almost see the steam rising from Lucy's body. She didn't know exactly what made her snap like that, but it sure as Hell caught their attention.

The pink haired dragon slayer stepped forward, and laughed directly in Lucy's face.

"Nice try Lucy! You're not the boss of us." Natsu chanted, sarcastically. He rested his hands on his sides and a huge stupid grin appeared on his face.

"Now step aside so I can get a job. I need jewels for more food!" He motioned his hand for Lucy to move away.

Lucy curled her toes and balled her fist.

"You're going to regret saying that to me Natsu. If you're so hungry...EAT THIS." And just like that. Lucy's leg flew up, her boot smashed into the side of Natsu's face, and slammed him into the ground.

"Anyone else have anything to say?" Lucy scanned over her guild mates expressions and nobody said a word or flinched.

She cleared her throat. "So, ready to look for a job Loke." Her voice went from harsh to calm and dainty.

He nodded casually. "Sure." He wasn't going to get on her bad side that's for sure!

He'd been standing with his hands in his pockets watching that unfold. He was glad he wasn't Natsu just then. He smirked slightly as he lifted his glance from Natsu.

"You heard the lady" he winked at the group and turned away towards the board and strolled over to it.

His head was back in the gutter, watching Lucy storm over to the board. ' _This fiery side of Lucy is irresistible... Dammit. Loke concentrate or you're going to get a slap.'_

Lucy skimmed the board carefully. Nothing seemed to catch her eye...Except for one.

"Aha! Here's a good one!"

The job was simple. All they had to do was help a few officers escort a prisoner to a more secured facility. The reward was outrageous! 500,000 jewels!

"What do you think about this one Loke?"

Loke had strolled over to the board, tilting his head. "Hmm. An escort mission? Sounds easier than the last one!"

He joked.

"Let's do it!"

He looked back At the group behind them, seeing they'd edged in closer.

Lucy folded the paper and slipped it into her pocket. She stepped aside allowing everyone to gather around the board.

 _Later on the train..._

Lucy had insisted on paying for the ride, of course her spirit argued with her, but finally agreed. The compartment wasn't as nice as the one yesterday, no tea unfortunately. She was just glad to be alone with Loke. She had decided to ask him a few questions, hoping to get the answer she wanted.

"Hey Loke...?"

He had a pout on his face as he sat at with her. He wanted to treat her again. Damn. However he didn't plan to argue with her, after what she did to Natsu!

"Yes, beautiful?" He answered.

She looked down and twiddled her thumbs. A bit nervous about asking him anything, but she knew if she didn't, she'd go crazy.

"Loke...What am I to you?" Her heart felt like lead. She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

Loke tilted his head, a little taken back by the question. What was he supposed to say to that? He really liked Lucy but didn't any to do anything to sabotage that. Did she feel like she was being strung along?

"Hm? What brought this up all of a sudden, Lucy?" He smiled at her, broadly.

"I've told you already, I'd of hoped you'd noticed by now" he rested his chin on his palm, and smirked.

"Shall I show you again?" He raised his other Palm above his head grinning. Maybe his Ray of love was too embarrassing for her.

Lucy let out a heavy sigh of relief and huge smile crept across her face. She was still looking down.

"Oh I noticed. I was just making sure." She chuckled and looked up at him as he raised his hand above his head, blasting his ray of ' _I love Lucy.'_

She squeaked at grabbed his hand, slamming it down onto her leg.

"D-Don't do that!"

She placed her free hand across her face, trying her best to hide her scarlet face.

He gave her a toothy grin, laughing at her embarrassment.

"Alright, I won't do it."

His hand was now on her leg from Lucy pulling it down, his eyes followed. He blinked and looked at it for a moment, and tilted his head and let out a slight chuckle.

"You sure have been acting strange today Luce. It's kinda cute."

Did he say that last part out loud? He wasn't sure.

Lucy removed her hand from her face and flashed the biggest smile he'd ever seen.

"Cute, huh?" She beamed, still holding his hand against her leg she inched her hand down and intertwined their fingers. She noticed his cheeks growing red.

"Haha awww Loke. Are you blushing? That's adorable..." Lucy teased.

He smiled widely at this, and met her eyes.

"Me? Blushing? No.." He tilted his head up and glanced away. _Oh my god. I'm not blushing! I don't do that, I'm cool!_ He kept telling himself. His smile stayed on his lips though, as he listened to her.

She leaned against him, her head against his shoulder, still holding his hand.

This felt right. Almost like the missing puzzle piece in her life, but she wasn't ready to admit everything just yet. The moment had to be perfect.

"Don't get any frisky idea's...Okay?" She smirked and squeezed his hand. She had no doubt about it. She _was_ falling for him.

His head turned back slightly to answer her, "No frisky ideas? If you say so." He chuckled jokingly. He wasn't planning anything _'frisky_ ' as she put it. He didn't want to ruin this moment. Although it did make his mind wander a little bit. _Hehe..._

"Yeah yeah. I know you better than that." She giggled, still grinning like an idiot.

A few minutes passed by and they arrived at their destination in Oak Town. Sadly, Lucy let go of his hand and grabbed her bags.

They hopped off the train and Lucy looked around. She didn't even see the town. Which meant she'd probably have to walk. She was thankful that she wore her hiking boots. The blonde skimmed over a map posted on the wall next to the ticket booths.

"Hmmm, looks like we're going to have to walk about 15 minutes before we're actually in Oak Town. So we better hurry up. The enforcement is expecting us to be there in-"

Lucy looked up at the big clock above the station, it was 12:40pm.

"-They're expecting us in 20 minutes! Crap!"

"We best walk quickly..." He said, wearing completely the wrong sort of thing for hiking.

"Hm. One second." His body glowed golden all of a sudden and flash! He was in some fancy well fitting jeans, sneakers and a casual buttoned up shirt, which had the sleeves rolled up. That looked more comfortable and airy than his full suit. He could move fast in all of his outfits.

"Okay! Let's go!"

Loke didn't look at the map, he just started walking towards Oak Town in the correct direction. He had a hunch, and his hunches were usually right.

"You coming, beautiful?" He smirked.

Astonished by his sudden outfit change. Lucy couldn't help but to bite her lip. He looked good in anything! She could only imagine what he'd look like nak- ahhh! No.

She couldn't have those thoughts yet. They haven't even kissed! She heard him call to her and she snapped back into reality.

"Oh, yeah! I'm coming!"

She jogged to catch up with him, which she hated! Jogging or running, or anything of the sort always seemed to draw in the creeps. As she ran, Lucy noticed a few guys about a 20 feet away cat calling at her.

"Damn girl you should keep jogging."

"Eck...disgusting.." She rolled her eyes and immediately locked arms with her spirit. She looked up at Loke who was glaring at them.

"It's okay Loke, they're just a bunch of losers anyway." She squeezed his arm as they marched forward.

He continued to glare at them until he couldn't see them anymore, making sure they didn't plan on following. Their faces imprinted in his mind. ' _I'll be back for you creeps later...'_

He looked back at Lucy who was holding his arm, tightly.

"We should be there a little early at this rate."

He grinned down at her. He then considered what sort of lasagna to cook, he'd been thinking about it on the train too. He wanted it to be perfect. _Oh! The mission! Best do that first..._ He pouted slightly.

"You ready for this mission? Remember convicts being transferred are easy targets for bandits looking to get their companions set free. That would explain why it paid so well I guess. I wonder what sort of convicts they have?" He pondered, unaware that Lucy may not of realized this tiny fact when she chose it.

She stayed glued to his side. When he mentioned that transferring a convicts could lead to their friends setting them free, she got a bad feeling that this could possibly happen. When he finished his sentence Lucy smacked herself across the forehead.

"Great! What if we're transferring someone like Jellal when he was overtaken by Zeref!?( _Like we need another Jellal. There were enough already! Poor Erza..._ ) GAHH! I can be such an idiot sometimes..." She rubbed her temple and sighed.

"I suppose if we can handle 4 bandits like we did yesterday...Then we can do it again..." She tried to seem hopeful, but the bad feeling left a sour taste in her throat.

Loke smiled, knowing she was nervous. "We will be fine. Plus I am here using my own magic. If you need the other spirits, they're always there to help!" He spoke highly of the Zodiacs. Of course he did, he was the Zodiac leader. He grinned cheerfully and then stopped, looking ahead.

They stopped at a creek about 50 feet wide, not even one rock in site so they could hop across. "Oh great. Now how are we supposed to get over without getting wet?" Lucy looked up at her spirit. "Do you think you could get us across?" she asked.

" First challenge." He looked around then back to Lucy.

"I have an idea but it requires you riding on my back" Loke smiled. He liked this idea.

"-Orr..." He swiftly scooped her up into his arms. "We could just try it this way" He liked this idea more. A lot more! He tilted his head and looked down at her in his arms.

"Or wha?-" before she could finish, Lucy was swept off her feet, causing her to let out a small shriek. She blushed deeply, pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. She had a small fear of being dropped or falling, so she took a deep breath.

"J-Just do it...We can't be late!"

"Alright. Just know I've got a hold of you, no matter what." He took a stride in the other direction, giving himself some distance from the creek, before turning on his heel.

"Hold on, Gorgeous." He then started running at full pelt with Lucy safely in his arms. As they rapidly approached the edge, it seemed as if he was running into the water.

She trusted him, yet her petty little fears still got the best of her. She turned her head, burying her face into his broad chest. _Mmm oh god yes, He smells delicious. Black Polo perhaps?_

A bright magic circle appeared under his feet and he leaped into the air, Regulus shot up from under his feet. He'd never managed to use a Regulus blast from his feet before, he was just glad it worked! They glided through the air together, making their way over the creek.

She felt him take off, the sound of his feet hitting the ground made her heart race. She clutched the front of his shirt as he rocketed into the air.

He smirked down at her, "The landing maybe a bit rough." He quickly said, as the ground was approaching.

This cat always landed on his feet. He managed to make it across, bending his knees, causing dust to rise up around him as he struck the earth, feet first and standing.

That may of been the biggest jump he'd done. _Lucy, you really do make me feel like I can do anything..._ that thought rushed through his head as he looked down at her to see if she was alright.

 _Please don't fall please don't fall please don't fa-_...Lucy jerked forward as they landed back onto the ground safely. She looked up and noticed a worried look on his face. It almost made her want to reach up and kiss him. His facial expressions were so irresistible.

"I'm fine. Thank you Loke."

She gave him a big cheeky grin and leaned up, placing a small kiss on his jawline and yet again, noticing a small blush appear on his face.

When Loke set her down she gave him a wink and started to walk at a fast pace.

Oh she was starting to tease him. He felt his face grow warmer as she kissed his jaw. _Why are you so irresistible, Lucy!_ He followed her into town with his hands in his pockets, a slight pout on his lips. _'Clear your head, Loke. We're almost there'_ , he told himself.

They both turned the corner sharply only a block away from the prisoner transfer center. With only a minute left, they busted through the doors. The old man at the front desk was startled until he saw Lucy raise her hand, showing her guild mark.

"Welcome to Oak Town" said the old man.

He had thin white hair, almost bald, and matching mustache, and a small mole right above his left eye.

"We shall prep for transfer right away."

He tilted his head at the old man, hands still in his pockets. For some reason old people made him curious. Their faces told their own story, and had their own experiences. The only old guys he knew back at home were the spirit king and a few of the elders (but they alone only looked about 50).

"Great, let's get started. I'm eager to see what sort of convicts you are transferring! " He said. He was sort of excited.

Lucy saw a carriage pull up. There were 1..2..3...oh my. Six guards standing around the carriage. Guns and Batons placed at their sides. One of the guards close to the carriage door seemed a bit off. He was a lot bigger than the rest. His eyes were shifting around far too much.

Lucy raised her brow and tapped Loke's shoulder.

"We should keep an eye on that guard. He seems a little suspicious." She motioned her eyes towards him, trying not to seem obvious. Loke's glance flicked to the guard that Lucy pointed out. He nodded slightly, not drawing attention to it.

The guards hopped onto the sides of the carriage, using one hand to hold the roof and the other locked onto their gun trigger.

Lucy hopped onto the back with Loke by her side. It had a little more space than the sides. They took off with force, causing her to lose her balance for a moment. "Ahh"

As it took off, Loke managed to keep a firm grip, He swiftly put his arm around Lucy to keep her balance, the jolt causing him to slightly pull her into his side slightly. "Woah."

The carriage had been traveling out of town now for twenty minutes.

Loke was all ears, cautious of the amount of criminals that were near by. His ear twitched as he heard a slight knock from within the carriage. "..."

Lucy, who was still blushing from we he had pulled her against her, looked up at her spirit noticing his serious facial expression.

"What's wro-" before she could finish she felt the carriage rock.

' _What the hell?_ ' She thought.

 _BOOOOOM!_

A terrible blast of black magic burst from the top of the were thrown to the ground...except one. The guard Lucy was suspicious about, opened the carriage doors, allowing the prisoner to hop out with a smirk on his face. His cuffs were gone!

The man stood was about 180cm (6ft). He had short spiky lime green hair. Dark brown eyes and a wicked smile. Lucy went to grab her whip when the man walked over towards her and Loke. She was surprised he didn't run. Wait...Why did he look so familiar?

"Hello Lucy." He said with a calm tone.

"Leo..." His voice became rather irritated when he said the spirit's name.

"Who are you? And how do you know who I am?!" Lucy clenched her fists.

"Didn't you receive my message in your coffee cup?" He smirked at her, darkly.

Lucy's heart sank when she remembered seeing Karen's face. _Oh No..._

"I knew you'd chose this job. I made sure of it. And I knew you'd bring that _beast_ with you too." He narrowed his eyes as he stared at Loke.

Her heart was racing, the grip on her whip became tighter.

"What is your name, Prisoner?!" Lucy snapped.

"Oh...Excuse my rudeness, Beautiful. My name is Eric Lilica. Karen's older brother."


	3. Chapter 3: The Lillica's

**Chapter Three - The Lilica's.**

Eric Lilica. A tall, green haired criminal that just burst out of the prison cart with his shady accomplice were now standing in front of Lucy and Loke, filled with an air of confidence that made Loke feel sick. _Why today!?_ This wasn't the first time the Lion had met Karen's foul older brother.

Loke stared at him, wide eyed.

He couldn't muster words to his lips, all that was on his face was fear. That sort of fear when you see a ghost.

"No..." He managed to stutter. If Lucy, his owner gets hurt here, it will be all his fault and he will not allow it. Not again. Lucy was the last person he wanted to see any harm come too.

There was a feeling twisting in Loke's stomach. Fear? Anger? Loathing... His fists were clenched by his side as he stood beside Lucy. They were shaking.

"What do you want, Eric?" He growled, with gritted teeth. He thought he was free of this cursed past. The lion was was ready to pounce.

Lucy back herself against Loke. She already knew what his expression was without even looking.

The man sighed and raised his hand to Lucy.

"Don't worry beautiful. I don't wanna hurt you. I just want revenge for my sister." He looked up at Loke with a intense glare. "I just want to kill you...slowly.."

She immediately smacked his hand away. "Don't you dare lay one finger on Loke. And don't call me beautiful." Her eyes were locked with his. And if looks could kill...he'd be dead. She readied her whip with a snap.

"Loke go back to the spirit world. I'll handle this creep!"

"That's not going to happen. " Loke quickly replied.

"I'd never leave you alone with someone like this Lucy. I'm sorry for disobeying. I refuse to see you come to harm over my past. Please let me..." He said, still glaring at Eric, adjusting his rings.

There was fire in his eyes. A burning desire to protect Lucy pumped through him. Adrenaline.

Loke stepped in front of Lucy. "If you want your revenge then fight me for it... And leave Lucy out of this" He said bluntly.

He knew he wouldn't be talked around this. He's a convict who went through all this trouble to get to this point.

Lucy wasn't really shocked that he didn't listen to her demands. She knew he wouldn't leave her. She had never really seen Loke this serious.

"Beautiful, you should listen to the beast and move aside. Maybe after I finish killing him, I could take you out?" He winked at her.

His guard friend came around from the other side and grabbed Lucy, and pulled him against her and restraining her.

"I'll keep her safe boss." He proceeded to walk off with a now feisty Lucy. She kicked and screamed.

"Let me go you idiot! I'll kick your ass for this!" Lucy looked back at Loke who seemed even more tense as if he didn't know what to do.

Lucy saw the fear in his eyes. It nearly broke her heart. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and with all her strength, pushed herself free, and kicked Eric's assistant his his family Jewels.

"Argh!" He fell to the ground, as a single tear rolled down his face. "Stupid...Bitch..."

Lucy ignored his comment and pushed her hair out of her face.

"Loke, I demand you go back...NOW!" Her tone was harsh. She had never spoken to Loke like that.

"Return!" His eye's were wide, they never left Lucy's site. She used her forced gate closure on her lion.

Lucy cracked her whip. "Eric, you know damn well none of that was Loke's fault. If your sister wouldn't have been so cruel and hard-headed , maybe she'd still alive."

Eric's face went pale. He had a quick flashback, remembering his sisters cold body lying in rubble. He clenched his fist.

"And I thought we could live happily together. Too bad I'm gonna have to kill you now..." he darted towards Lucy with full force and punched her straight in the gut, sending her flying back about 20 feet.

"Oooft...This is gonna be tough..." Lucy staggered back to her feet and pulled out her Taurus key, and quickly summoned him.

"Taurus deal with him!" She pointed at the green haired freak.

Taurus saluted her. "Anything for you miss Luuuuuucy." He charged after eric who wasn't even phased by her spirit. He raised his hand and with a snap of his fingers. Taurus was sent back.

"What the...?" Lucy cursed under her breath. She was definitely in for a fight...

After about 10 minutes of being beaten down. Lucy's body was so sore. Scraps and bruises covered her, yet she wasn't going to give up a fight.

Eric, who wasn't even hurt smirked at Lucy.

"Summon your lion back and I might spare you...and if you promise to let me take you out?" He reached down and cupped Lucy's face.

"Even all beat up, you're still so beautiful..." Lucy couldn't even move. He leaned down, ready to press his lips against hers with a dark, knowing smirk.

 _Arghh!_

A very angry and feisty, now fully suited Loke swiped the back of Eric's collar, and grabbed it tightly. The lion pulled him away with such speed It was sure to give him some kind of whiplash.

He gritted his teeth, eyes locking with Lucy for a moment and then sent Eric flying off to the side with a burst of Regulus.

"Don't you touch her. I asked you to leave her out of this..." His chest was almost heaving with Anger as he walked over to Eric, his fists clenched by his sides.

Lucy smelled something wonderful. _Black polo._ Her body hurt oh so badly. _Wait..Black polo? Loke?!_

Her eyes popped open and saw him. She gave him a weak smile as they locked eyes. The way he protected her just made her crazy.

"Lucy, get yourself out of here... I promise I will find you later..." He said without looking at her.

She slowly raised herself up. Her wounds stung like crazy, but not enough to make her run away like a coward. "I'm not leaving you Loke! I can still fight!" Lucy staggered forward and cracked her whip again.

He got himself into a stance in front of Eric, forming a large magic circle on the ground.

"I will only say this once, Eric. So listen to me. Bringing harm to Lucy is something I cannot forgive. You can do what you want to me, but harm her and I will keep coming back, no matter how much damage you do to me, until I stop you..."

He was sure he made himself clear and he coldly stared back at Eric.

"Wha-?" She stared at him with wide eyes. The way he was defending her. Did he really care that much? She looked over noticing the guards who all had fear and pity in their eyes. She definitely couldn't listen to Loke's demand for her to leave.

Just as Lucy was about to dash forward, Eric's assistant grabbed her by the back of her hair. "You shouldn't have done that bitch..."

Lucy wrenched in pain, but allowed herself to smirk.

"Wow, it took you 10 minutes to heal? What a weakling..."

He gripped her hair tighter and pulled her off the ground. "Who's the weakling now bitch?"..

Loke winced as he heard Lucy get grabbed, he glanced back seeing her be grabbed, 'Lucy... Just hold on a little more' he then turned his attention back to Eric.

Eric stood back up, brushing himself off. "Tsk tsk tsk Loke."

He tilted his head to the side. "Now why did you have to ruin such a beautiful moment? Besides.." He took a moment to clear his throat,

"Why are you defending her, when she doesn't even love you?"

His words pierced Loke's heart, yet his expression was still the same.

Loke clenched his fists, and scoffed at his words,

"She doesn't need to love me for me to protect her. It's not only because she's my owner, it's because I will do anything to protect her, just like I promised her..." He narrowed his eyes at Eric.

Eric combed his hair back with his fingers and within a second, a black magic circle appeared on the ground. "Let's dance..." Eric sneared.

Their magic circles clashed together like fire.

"Unlike ... Karen..." Loke found it hard to say her name, "Lucy loves her spirits, she fights by their sides and she wouldn't let you or your friends take advantage of us."

Loke's body burst into a blinding golden flames flicked from his body, which sparked with the air. He went for Eric with a fistful of gold, just as Eric went for him. Their clash exploded with light, causing dust to rise in the air and push out a shockwave of dirt around them.

Punches were thrown in the clash, you could hear each one as they struck. They sounded like they hurt, a lot.

Loke panted heavily, as he was thrown back out of the dust, and smoke. His shirt was ripped and he was cut and bruised. He staggered back to his feet, to face Eric whom stumbled out looking in a similar state as the lion. "Argh…"

Loke rubbed his head, and twisted his arms in front of him, forming a new magic circle. Eric only laughed at him. What was he hiding?

"Not bad for a cat.. But a little too persistent. I can fix that for you." His eyes were now black, as if his soul had been taken over.

Lucy had managed to get away from the bulky man, who was yet again lying on the ground holding his junk.

She glanced at Loke who was beat up pretty badly from his recent impact with Eric.

"How about I give you a little taste of newest power. _Memory control.._." He raised his arms, then clashed them together, causing a thick swarm of black magic to cover Loke.

"LOKE!" Lucy screamed as she went to try and save her spirit, but Eric's assistant grabbed her legs, causing her to fall onto her face. painfully. "Oooft!"

The lion was now in a different setting. Loke closed his eyes, pained from the attack. He found as he opened them that he was no longer standing before Eric. What is this place-He didn't know where he was or why Eric was showing this to him. He noticed someone lying in some rubble nearby. He tilted his head. The green haired girl looked so familiar...Karen.

 _Karen!?_ He stumbled hesitantly towards her, looking down at her crumpled body. How he hated her... Yet still felt guilty for her death. All he could do was stare, unable to take his gaze away from his former owner.

"LOKE SNAP OUT OF IT!" Lucy knew Eric was showing him Karen to distract him. She wanted to save him so badly.

 _"LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TOO KAREN, LEO. LOOK AT HER COLD LIFELESS BODY! IF YOU WOULD HAVE JUST RETURNED SHE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!"_ Eric's eyes were filled with such hate, his voice was raspy from screaming so loudly.

Lucy could see tears filling his eyes...He really loved his sister.

 _What is that voice? Lucy?! She's here? She can't see this! "Eric, S-stop it!_ " A magic circle appeared under him. _"Karen is gone. Angel killed her!"_ He stuttered.

He heard Lucy calling for him again.

Loke's light erupted around him. _Lions brilliance!_ It drowned out his sight of this horrible vision.

"Lucy!" He roared from the light and went straight for where Eric's voice had come from. He needed to get back.

The clouds grew dark, rain started to fall hard on the ground. Was this Eric's doing?

Lucy called for Loke some more, and looked back at Eric's assistant. Her frustration grew worse. Finally, she broke a leg free and slammed it into the creeps face, which of course left a very detailed boot print.

She heard him call her name. He heard her!

"LOKE DON'T LET HIS VISIONS FOOL YOU!"

She scrambled to her feet. All of a sudden she felt something wet hit her cheek...and again. She looked up and that now dark grey sky. The rain began to pour on her.

Eric was even more pissed at Loke's words. All he wanted was revenge! His magic became more intense.

Lucy knew what she had to do to break her spirit free.

"LOKE YOU BETTER COME BACK TO ME…" She cried, loudly. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest.

The words she wanted to say so badly, but was too afraid to say before slipped right now of her mouth.

"-BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

With those words, those _magnificent_ word, the light around him exploded, sending a shock wave out from where Loke was standing. The blinding energy slammed Eric away from him and smashed him into a rock. His body indented it, causing the edges to crack.

Regulus flicked off Loke's body like fire as the dust cleared. He walked towards Eric.

Lucy clutched her chest as she finally saw her spirit. Weight rolled off her shoulders. She was afraid she'd never see his face again. Too hear his silly jokes..too never finally kiss him…

"Karen forgot one fundamental thing..." Loke growled through gritted teeth.

He moved his arms back in front of him as Eric staggered back to his feet. He had nothing but fear in his eyes as he tried to push himself back.

Loke's magic circle appeared in front and below him. He narrowed his eyes at the Lime haired mage.

"Love makes spirits stronger!" The lion roared!

The light energy drew into Loke's magic circles, which were almost brimming out the edges with golden flames.

Eric had no choice, he took one glance right into Loke's eyes and spat, "I will return, and I will kill you Leo."

 _"Regulus impact!"_

Without a second glance, a ferocious lion erupted from Loke's body, and pounced!

 _BAM!_ It devoured Eric, leaving nothing up a scarred line through the wooded surrounding, that was left smoking.

Lucy watched in amazement. Loke was so powerful. She tilted her head and grinned. They had won!

She jogged over to Loke who was wobbly. He stood and watched Eric be consumed completely and black out in a heap of pain. Loke was filled with adrenaline. What a rush that come back was. Woo! He turned to Lucy, and saw her run towards him. He gave her a smile like _'we diiiid iiit'._ The lion held out his arms to grab her and hug her. But that's where the happy smile ended.

 _BANG!_

Eric's assistant was still lying on the ground. He was conscious and had his gun raised, smoke poured out of the barrel.

Lucy froze.

"L-Loke..." Lucy stuttered.

' _Warmth… Why is the rain warm?'_

She looked down at her stomach. ' _B-Blood?!'_ That's when she finally realised…

She pressed her hands against her wound. An intense pain shot through her entire body. She felt weak…

The sound of the gunshot echoed throughout the sky, even through the heavy rain.

"L-Lucy!?" Leo ran towards her. "LUCY!" The call was blood curdling.

Maybe she shouldn't have been standing so close to the edge cliff...She honestly hasn't even noticed it until then. She wobbled backwards, her vision now blurry. Was she going to die like this? The sound of rocks crumbling and Loke screaming her name was the last thing she heard before falling backwards off the cliff.

She would usually scream, but this time all she could do was stare at the sky. The wind and rain pierced her skin. She didn't want to die, but did she really have any other choice? She had been falling too long to be saved. but hey, at least she got to tell him how she felt. She smiled one last time, ready for impact with the earth and peacefully closed her eyes, blacking out.

Loke bolted straight for her. He'd never run this fast in his life. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins, numbing his wounds. That's when he dived.

The remaining guards managed to detain the two men and put them back in the carriages but they could only watch helplessly, as their saviors plummeted to the ground.

Loke slammed down into Lucy, having caught up just in time. His body collided with hers, seeing the ground rapidly approach.

"I-I won't let you die!" he pulled her into his chest, and closed his eyes tightly. The light was all consuming, warm and then weightless...


	4. Chapter 4: The Light in the Rain

Chapter Four: The Light In The Rain

Today was a dark day. The sky was brimming full of charged up energy that it was just begging to be released from its thick, furious looking black clouds. Wet, fat missiles of moisture rocketed down to the earth, casting dents into the sand on the beach. It was hard to tell where the rain started and the carnivorous waves began. The wind shrieked and howled as it tore through the tree's, ripping leaves from their perches. Finally, thunder roared from the depths, and crashed into the ground, leaving vengeful scorch marks in the dirt. Lightning blasted out, brightening up the sky temporarily, before it sank back into darkness.

In the sand, Lucy and Loke were laying unconcious. The rain poured down on them both.

The Lion slowly opened his eyes, his head hurt like Hell. Lucy was in his arms.

"Lucy!?" He was worried sick, she'd been hurt. What should he do!? He went to sit up and groaned at the pain.

Was she dead? Her body was still unbelievably sore. She slowly peaked one eye open only to see her spirit looking down at her. ' _Are those tears?'_

Lucy touched Loke's arm and smiled.

"You saved me yet again. Don't you get tired of that?"

She managed to chuckle softly. She had forgotten about her wound and groaned in pain, pressing her hand against her stomach. She lifted her hand back up to see how much blood she was dealing with. None? What the..she looked down, although it was still sore and bruised, the wound was gone. She looked back up and locked eyes with her spirit. She saw the passion burning deep within his eyes. She felt numb now...

Loke stared at her intensely as she spoke.

He didn't answer her with words. No words could describe how he was feeling.

The lion placed his hands on her cheeks, carefully tracing his thumbs over her skin. He tilted his head to down to hers, and in response, she gazed up at him. Their warm breaths could be seen in the cold air.

Loke lowered his eyes down from hers and pressed his lips tenderly against Lucy's, and kissed her passionately in the rain.

Lucy's eyes were wider than ever before. Her stomach filled with butterflies. It seemed as if her heart raced a thousand beats per second! ' _He's kissing me? Never let this moment end... '_

She smiled boldly against his warm lips, and without hesitation, wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing herself to deepen this kiss. This felt so right. His lips melded perfectly against hers. She was finally, and truly happy for the first time in her life.

Her lips were a rosy scarlet colour and so desirable. She tasted sweet, just how he imagined. The cold rain was nothing but a distant memory as he found himself lost in paradise. His hand ran down from her cheek to support her back, carefully brushing through her damp hair.

This overwhelming emotion got the better of him. He parted lips with her, noticing her flushed cheeks matched his own.

"I'll never grow tired of saving you" he responded quietly, with his deep, velvety voice.

Loke took off his jacket and wrapped it over her shoulders to keep her a little drier in the rain. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Just...Don't go doing that again."

He laughed softly, referring to Lucy getting herself shot and falling off the cliff.

"I don't want to lose you."

"It seems like I'm always falling when you're around..." she giggled at herself. She couldn't stop smiling. Lucy bit her lip when she looked back up into his eyes lovingly.

"And don't worry you won't lose me. I'm your girl right?" She leaned up, her lips almost pressed against his ear. She gripped his shirt tightly, and with a low, sexy like tone, whispered into his ear...

"Besides..I love you to much to leave..."

Her words chimed in his ears. That angelic voice spoke to him so gently. Did he die and go to heaven? No, he can't die. ' _Stupid lion.' THIS WAS REAL_. He couldn't stop smiling.

Loke hadn't imagined his week would turn out this way. Just a few days ago, he was in the guild with Lucy and the others playing a game and got slapped for being what seemed like a pervert. In reality he wasn't intending to come off as one, but Lucy felt bad for humiliating him in front of everyone she offered to make it up to him. She definitely made it up to him, alright!

He smiled down at her, his eyes watching her lips carefully.

Suddenly, He scooped her up into his arms and stood up, shirt still ripped and torn, his jacket around her shoulders.

"Let's get out of the rain"

He held her close to his chest, close to his heart - Which was beating pretty fast now.

She's his now, and he isn't letting her go. The stupid smile didn't disappear from his face as he walked across the sand.

As he scooped her up she curled her toes and wiggled her nose before letting out a small dainty sneeze, _"chuu!"_ She covered her face and blushed.

"Haha y-yeah let's get out of here."

She looked at his bare chest and placed one hand over his heart, which was beating oh so fast. Lucy trailed her fingertips over his chest and up his neck, slowly. He shivered from her touch. "You're so perfect Loke..." she muttered. ' _Wait..did I just that out loud?!'_

He tilted his head down to her with a smirk.

"I try my best" he chuckled as he carried her in his arms and gave her a wink.

"Come on, Beautiful, I think I see something up ahead. " He nodded in the direction he was walking, to point out a small building in the forest off the coast.

"I don't want you catching a cold." Loke's adrenaline was slowly wearing thin, thank god he could see shelter where he could rest. He'd used a lot of magic to fight Eric and even more to keep Lucy safe by returning back to the celestial world momentarily. He was getting exhausted.

Lucy noticed how tired Loke looked. She could also tell by his tone. And god...was his sleepy voice sexy. She turned her head and saw the small building, Loke pointed out. It was small, but nice enough for them to rest. She smirked at the thought of them having to keep each other warm. _'Heh..heh.'_

As they entered the building, Loke set her down gently. She looked around. It was bigger than she thought. There was a small bed big enough for two towards the left. Lucy looked back at Loke who had heavy eyes. "Go get some rest, Okay?"

Sweet glorious relief. A dry place to rest. He was soaked through, bleeding, cut and bruised and that bed looked so unbelievably soft and inviting right now. He could of returned back to the spirit world, but didn't plan on leaving Lucy alone in this forest. He stepped inside and shut the door.

"Oh, not bad." He said with a grin.

He removed the shredded shirt and burst it into golden sparkles, disposing of it. Celestial clothes are great. He walked through the dusty room, towards the bed and looked back at Lucy, seeing she was shivering from the cold rain. He held his hand out.

"I'll keep you warm if you keep me warm." His charming smile was back on his face.

Lucy sniffled from being so cold. She took off her wet shirt revealing a somewhat damp tank top. She clenched her fist and blushed when she realized her jeans were also soaked.

"Loke..C-can you turn away for a moment?"

The only way she could sleep was in shorts or just a tank top and panties.

He nodded and turned away.

"Of course."

As she looked away herself, he'd managed to change half his outfit back into his jeans. These were dry and not shredded. He decided to leave the shirt off, he didn't have the energy to change that too. His hands went into his pockets as he waited for her to tell him it was okay to look. Oh my god, was Lucy undressing behind him?! ' _Contain yourself Loke...'_

Lucy pulled off her socks and shoes, she tossed them to the side. Too exhausted to even care about placing them down neatly. She unbuckled her belt and inched her pants down.

"Err.."

Even though he had turned away, she was still pretty embarrassed and shy about the situation...

Finally, she kicked her pants to the side.

"Ahh...much better.." A sudden chill crawled up Lucy's spine.

"Shit shit shit!" She rushed over next to her spirit, embracing him with force. Her whole body was shaking. ' _Wait...Loke Isn't wearing a shirt. Hnnnggg...'_

He wrapped his arms around her quickly as her head rested on his chest. Oh he couldn't resist. He wasn't going to try any funny business but oh my god, Lucy was in her panties.

He scooped her up again into his arms with a smirk.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you warm."

He walked over to the bed, the tiredness kicking in entirely. He knelt down and laid her on top of him, cuddling her warmly, with a tired grin across his lips. He was in paradise for sure.

Lucy held her breath as he laid her down on top of him. She didn't hesitate though. She snuggled up against him. He was so warm. Almost burning hot...

Minutes past, she just listened to the rhythm of his heart beat. It was soothing. She smiled warmly. She felt so safe. Right before she was about to drift off, she shifted upwards and placed a kiss on his neck.

"That's payback from the other night..." She giggled and placed her head back against his chest. "Goodnight Loke.." and just like that, she was asleep...

Loke felt his skin shiver as she kissed his neck, no one had ever done that to him before.

' _So that's what that feels like- DAMNIT! That was mean. The tease..._ _Oh what the hell, I can't talk.'_

He grinned broadly and kept his arms around her, protecting her from the cold.

"Good night, Lucy" His eyes lowered down to her eyes which had closed as she drifted off to sleep. He tilted his head slightly, then all went black. He'd fallen asleep.

This process was slow for Loke. Sleeping in the human world meant it took longer to heal up, and there was usually a sting to staying too long. Luckily for him, his stint with Karen Lilica allowed him to endure and create a _slight_ immunity to the pain of the first few months.

The rain still poured heavily outside. It's torrent could be heard on the rooftop, the wind howled through the cracks in the windows. It was those howls that woke Loke up in the middle of the night. He glanced down at Lucy who'd managed to roll off him slightly and was lying to the side, using his shoulder as a pillow. As his eyes traced the outlines of the room, something caught his attention. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust his eyes. _'Aries?' ..._.


	5. Chapter 5: Reality

**Chapter Five: Reality**

Having spent the night together after their fall, Loke and Lucy slept soundly in the little hut they found in the forest, whilst the weather outside was still raging on. Loke awoke in the night and through the shadows of this little wooden hut he saw a figure step towards him.

" _Aries?"_ Loke mumbled through the dark, damp room.

The little lamb was holding some bandages she'd made herself.

"S-sorry Leo..." She whispered, trying not to wake Lucy up.

"The others wanted to help. We saw what happened today..." Her timid voice, murmured.

Loke tilted his head to her hands, and with a quiet tone asked, "Are those for me?"

Aries nodded. "You healed Lucy by returning back to the spirit world... That power should of been used to heal you."

He smirked. "Don't tell her that." He said in a quiet, cheerful voice.

He took the bandages and managed to wrap it around his wounds on his waist without moving too much. He flinched as he touched the one on his back. It had been bleeding. Loke's Celestial blood was gold, and not as noticeable as human blood. He'd been pretty distracted and hadn't realised.

Aries gave him a cloth which looked like it came straight from Virgo's maid collection and dabbed the cut that had been hiding under his hair. Aries then nodded to the ground. There was a pot of something. Food! I mean Capricorn cooked it, but he was good too! Little too many vegetables for Loke's liking but still good.

"Thanks guys..." He smiled warmly.

Aries smiled, bowed her head a little to the prince and stood back into the shadows, about to vanish.

Lucy felt Loke shuffling around in bed... And talking to someone? She peaked out of one eye when she smelt food. She hadn't eaten since that morning when Loke cooked her those oh so fluffy pancakes.

 _Gurgle Gurgle!_

Her stomach almost sounded like a dying whale as it moaned...How embarrassing. Loke was still speaking in a hushed tone. The other voice seemed familiar.

 _"Aries?"_ She spoke with a sleepy voice. Just as Aries was about to vanish she heard Lucy speak her name.

"I-I'm sorry Lucy! I didn't mean to wake you..." Aries looked down in shame. Almost pouting.

Lucy hated seeing her like that. How could anyone ever hurt her? She was so sweet. Lucy shot up, completely forgetting about the dress attire. She pulled Aries into a hug, her ass was sticking out a bit. (Poor Loke...Lucy was such a tease and she didn't even realize she was being one at the moment).

"You don't have to apologize Aries. I'm glad to see you." Lucy smiled, her eyes were still a bit heavy.

Aries pulled out a pair of celestial shorts. They were light pink. Almost like a pink pearl and oh so silky. There was a small trim of fleece around the bottom. It was obviously from her own collection. So cute!

Aries had a funny look on her face, her cheeks a bit pink.

"Y-You should put these on before Leo has heart failure." She giggled softly, something that Lucy rarely ever heard.

Lucy whipped her head back towards Loke whose eyes were glued to her ass.

"DAMMIT LOKE!" Her face turned 50 shades of red in 2.5 seconds. She didn't really know how to feel. She did love him, but she wasn't ready for that just yet!

Aries bowed one last time, still giggling, and vanished before Lucy could thank her.

She turned her attention back to the pervy lion and wrinkled her nose.

"Don't even THINK about it." Her voice was harsh.

Lucy slipped on the shorts Aries gave her and shuffled over to the other side of the room. Her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out. She was a bit upset with Loke..."tsssh!"

He pushed himself up, cringing a bit from the pain, but kept a big smirk on his face. He was laughing a little at her reaction.

"Hehe, I'm sorry." He stood up, the bandage now visible around his waist. He walked over to the other side of the room, where Lucy had retreated and slid his arms around her from behind, hugging her closely.

Loke then rested his head on her shoulder, rose his lips up her neck tenderly, with a smirk and whispered in her ear softly.

"Will you forgive me?" He teased. He was half expecting a slap, either way, it was worth it.

Lucy allowed his embrace, but flinched when he pecked her neck. Cold chills ran up her spine. She turned around to smack him. Before she struck his face she noticed his bandages.

Lucy tilted her head and frowned. She couldn't hit him after what he had done for her. Even if he did stare at her ass like a pervert. She placed her left hand on his chest, and gazed up into his eyes. She took her other hand and rested it on his cheek, rubbing her thumb across his lips once. His eyes shifted a bit from her touch. They were so calm. She loved those lion like eyes of his.

"You have been forgiven..." she curled her lips into a smile and slid her hand that was holding his face, across his neck, and held the back of his neck. She leaned up, pressing her forehead against his. Before their lips met, she stopped about an inch away.

"Promise me you'll stay?"

He smiled back at her. Phew. She didn't whack him. That's a relief. Loke's gentle gaze lowered down to hers, his words soft.

"I promise. I'll never leave your side, Lucy." His velvet voice was gentle and quiet. He gave her a genuine smile as he looked back into her eyes. He ran his hands up her back and leaned in to kiss her again-

 _Grrrrruummmmmbllee._ He paused and looked down. Was that his stomach? Or was it Lucy's? He blinked.

Lucy crossed her eyes in frustration. She cursed underneath her breath. The moment was ruined by the dying whale sounds coming from her stomach.

She let out a sigh and backed away.

"I suppose we should eat whatever is in that pot. It smells pretty good."

He saw the disappointed look on her face as the moment was interrupted. Adorable. How he wanted to kiss those beautiful lips some more, he thought, staring at them for a moment.

She smiled once more before rummaging through some cabinets near the small white sink towards the front of the building. She found a few bowls and some spoons...they definitely needed to be washed.

"Got any super cleaning celestial soap by any chance?" She chuckled softly, placing the bowls and spoons in the ink.

He walked over to the kitchen, still smirking, and put the pot of Capricorns cooking on the side.

The lion glided beside her quietly as she was concentrating on looking for some bowls and food and stuff. He put his hand on one shoulder, and swept his arm around her, his head resting on her other shoulder. He pecked her cheek playfully.

"No soap at all, there isn't even any running water here, just rain."

He pondered for a moment, "There is one who could help... But I don't think ..." He trailed off.

' _Aquarius wouldn't mind being summoned in a puddle outside right? '_

He pouted slightly at the thought.

Lucy wasn't even phased by his kiss. BUT she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Ohhhh no. I'm not getting yelled at!" She pointed a spoon at him in a threatening manner.

"I was already soaked enough from the rain, so if I wanna get wet I'll do it myself.." she paused, realizing how dirty that sounded. Her face went pale.

Loke bit his lip trying to hold back a snigger from her comment. He was failing horribly at containing it.

"O-okay then" He stuttered.

"Errr I mean..." she turned back around trying to hide her embarrassment.

Lucy quickly changed the subject.

"I wonder how everyone at the guild will react to our news...you know...being..together? Wait...are we together?" She realized they never really made it official.

As she changed the subject, he managed to control his laughter, swept around to her front and took her hand in his. He gently lifted it to his lips, kissed it whilst looking up into her eyes.

"Only if you want me. But you did say you were my girl earlier" his eyes smiled up at her happily.

"And to add to this, I want you to know I would never force you into this. Or anything for that matter." He wanted it to be her choice.

She smirked. "I did say that didn't I?"

Just the thought of actually being his girl made her tear up. She never thought that they would end up together, but she never really knew how much he cared… Or how much she cared for that matter.

Lucy wiggled herself free from his hold and pulled out her keys.

She didn't want too, but reluctantly grabbed Aquarius's key. With a deep heavy sigh, she walked towards the door and stepped out into the rain. Before summoning her she glanced back at Loke.

"If she yells at me, you owe me big time..."

Lucy placed the key in a semi-large puddle.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE WATER BEARER! AQUARIUS!"

Just like that, Aquarius shot out from the puddle, with a scowl across her face that basically said ' _you're gonna regret you were ever born'_

"Oh dear..." Lucy gulped.

Loke walked out and leaned on the door frame to the hut, watching Aquarius spring out of her gate.

He was pretty cool about it, _too_ cool.

Aquarius's glare lifted as she noticed the topless Loke standing behind Lucy, who was wearing Aries tiny shorts, and her spaghetti string top.

"..." She looked back at Loke with a cold look.

"Please tell me you didn't." she raised an eyebrow at him, "She didn't manage to tame the lion did she?"

Loke narrowed his eyes at her with a smug grin on his face. He didn't say anything in response. Aquarius and Loke had known each other a very very long time, and actually seemed to get on.

His role as Zodiac leader managed to stop a tidal wave. Aquarius rolled her eyes at the Prince then looked back at Lucy,

"What do you want?" She'd also seen what happened with Eric earlier today, it seems all the Zodiacs were watching in suspense.

Lucy raised her hands in self defense, expecting to be hit by a wave any moment. Surprisingly, she didn't, but of course still had an attitude in her voice.

"Uhmm...well. T-There isn't any running water...and we need some dishes to be cleaned...so can-"

Aquarius left eye twitched with irritation. Lucy knew it just by that look that shit was about to go down. The water bearer inhaled sharply.

"HOW DARE YOU SUMMON ME JUST TO WASH DISHES! DO I LOOK LIKE A FREAKING MAID TO YOU?! AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! "

Lucy put her hands back up and backed away slowly. "I-I'm sorr-.."

Aquarius suddenly turned attention to Loke. "This was YOUR idea wasn't it?!"

She rubbed her temples and sighed deeply. Aquarius knew they had a rough day, but summoning her to wash dishes was just outrageous.

Loke was stood watching over the pair. He knew Aquarius was Lucy's first spirit, he could see the connection and strong bond between the two, even if Aquarius was scary towards her, it's only because she cares. He smirked at them slightly when Aquarius yelled at him for it being his idea. How did she know?! He laughed under his breath slightly, trying not to be loud enough to be heard by Them both.

"This is the one and ONLY time I'll do this. If you EVER summon me back out of a puddle just to wash dishes, I will hit you BOTH with a tsunami!" Her words were stern. Lucy nodded her head quickly in agreement.

"Yes ma'am!"

Aquarius grabbed the dishes and quickly washed them clean, rust and all.

Lucy inspected the dishes in amazement. "Oh wow...thanks Aquarius! You did a great job." Lucy smiled at her spirit who was still irritated.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Can I go now? I'd rather not watch Leo gawk over you anymore."

Lucy nodded and turned back to Loke who was yet again, just staring at her.

"You two have fun..." Aquarius said monotonously and quickly vanished.

"Why do you stare at me like that?" Lucy waved her hand in front of his face. "You okay?"

 _Uh oh. Caught in the act of admiring the glorious booty!_ He still couldn't believe his luck. He didn't make it back when he jumped off the cliff did he? He actually died and this is purgatory. No? Alright then..

He blinked and looked at her. "I'm... I'm great! Just running a little low on energy." He felt that was a good cover. He smiled at her,

"Shall we go eat?"

Lucy's stomach rumbled for the millionth time.

"Yes, please!" She grabbed the dishes Aquarius had washed and ladled some of the stew into the bowls. After handing a bowl to Loke, she sat cross legged on the cot and immediately began to dig in.

"Mmm this good...but it could use a bit more meat..." Lucy looked up at her spirit who had a little stew on the side of his mouth. She processed to reach her hand up and wipe it off with her thumb like a mother would do to her child. She smiled and continued to gulp down her meal.

Loke smirked, and nodded. She was a woman after his own heart!

"That's what I was thinking." He ate some more,

"He's a good cook, but has a phobia of using meat in his meals...Probably afraid it's a relative of his."

He sniggers at this. The lion really was the leader, he knew his fellow zodiacs inside and out.

Lucy had wiped his lip, his eyes followed her thumb. _Splash_ , his mind was in the gutter again. He blinked and looked away, grinning to himself.

"Hey Lucy, Sorry I couldn't cook you lasagne tonight..."

She had completely forgotten about his promise to make her Lasagna. She pouted for a moment thinking about how good that sounded.

"It's okay, maybe next time."

Time...she looked down into her almost empty bowl. Only a bit of juice remained. Lucy sighed deeply. She didn't even think about about how old Loke was until now, and the fact that she would age throughout the year, and he wouldn't. She was human...so she would eventually...die.

Lucy's heart almost stopped. She dropped her bowl and shot up off the cot and out the door.

"I'll be back...I gotta clear my head.." As soon as she was about 20 feet away, she felt tears well up in her eyes. Good thing it was raining so even if he did follow her, he wouldn't notice.

Loke tilted his head as she stood up. Did he say something wrong? He blinked as she spoke and rubbed the back of his head.

"Okay..." He watched her walk out. Girl needed some space? He saw some rain d

rip through the ceiling. _IDIOT._ He just let Lucy out in this kind of weather in what she is wearing? He looked for something warmer and sighed. Nothing in this house was dry! He couldn't see her anymore. Shit. He vanished into a burst of sparkles momentarily, sending himself back to the spirit world to get a few things. It had been a few minutes, and he returned in a rushed state. He was wearing his coat and was holding a few things. He ran out into the rain looking for her.

Sand squished between Lucy's toes as she walked down the bank. Her arms were crossed and her head hung low.

"Of course it would be my luck to fall for someone who won't I can't grow old with..." she didn't even feel her heart beat anymore. She felt so many different emotions running through her. She was angry, confused, and definitely hurt.

She dropped down to her knees. What was she doing? She couldn't be with him. Even if she truly wanted to, she couldn't let him watch her die. Lucy broke down even harder, clutching her chest. She knew what she had to do before things got worse. She had to break the contract…


	6. Chapter 6: The Celestial World

**Chapter Six: The Celestial World**

Loke ran through the heavy rain, looking for her. Each missile of rain struck his skin like glass. It shattered into smaller drops and sunk down into the earth as it flew off him. The lion was panicking.

"Lucy..." He gritted his teeth as the cold rain sent a shiver down his spine.

"LUCY" He called through the woods, his voice almost lost in the torrent of wind and rain. The lion kept running. We hasn't going to give up. He couldn't.

 _Thud._

He tripped over a root and landed on the ground.

"Argh…" Loke pushed himself back to his feet, and continued looking for her. He quickly tried to dust off the dirt from his clothes. It was too dark to see. This place was like a labyrinth at night.

Finally, the ground crunched under his feet. Sand. He was back at the beach? The lion looked up and saw her on her knees in despair. His heart shattered in two.

"...Lucy" He walked closer, noticing her holding his key. _So this is what she was thinking about?_

He looked down quietly.

"Breaking my contact won't get rid of me, Lucy."

He walked closer to her,

"And it certainly won't stop my feelings for you. It will make me miss you and do stupid things in order to find my way back to Earthland. "

He walked over, dropped his bag in the sand and held her tightly, knowing she was still crying in his arms. He could hear her quiet staggered breath.

He forced a smile, "I made you a promise to never leave you, to always be there when you needed me and to always love you no matter what the circumstances. " He rested his head on hers softly after this.

Lucy whipped her head back when she heard Loke. The look on his face almost killed her. She held his key close to her heart. His words broke her heart even more. She knew he wouldn't leave…

As soon as he dropped to his knees and held her, she gripped his key tighter. What was she thinking? She couldn't break the contract, but what was she supposed to do? She wanted to be with him forever. She just couldn't stand the thought of leaving Earth without him.

Lucy tilted her head up, her eyes still a little puffy.

"I'm not leaving this world without you." She reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck. "I refuse too..."

Her words ached his heart, she can't promise that to him... She's human. Loke closed his eyes,

"Then leave the world with me..." He muttered, pulling her closely into him and covering her eyes.

That weightless feeling came back to them both. Flying. But not in the sky. Flying through space.

Loke gulped and opened his eyes. It had worked. No longer was there ice cold rain falling on their skin, or a harsh wind biting at their necks.

"I present you with my everything..." He quietly muttered, removing his hand from her eyes.

Lucy opened her eyes and rubbed them. Her vision was still a bit hazy from crying so hard. "You're everythi-?"

There before them was the Universe.

They stood on the roof of an exquisite building. Oceans of stars, clouds and galaxies expanded out as far as the eye could see. Thousands of stars flickered and danced, colourfully. It was breath taking.

When her vision became clear, her eyes widened. The stars were so close it seemed as if she could reach out and grab one. Bright colors painted the galaxies. Purple, Orange, even a hint of pink and blue.

Lucy turned her attention back towards her spirit. The view of the building they stood in was so exquisite. Large golden columns held the glass top. The room was humongous! The floor was marble like. There were hand painted pictures of each of the Zodiac's. One in particular caught Lucy's eye. It was larger than the others with golden lions on all four corners. It was Loke...well so she thought. The man was sitting in a burgundy chair. He was sitting straight up , his hands gripped the end of the arm rest, one leg crossed over the other, and he had that same toothy grin Loke always had.

A big smile spread across Lucy's face. _I'm not leaving this world without you_ She remembered saying that. She shook her head.

"You know exactly what to do to make me smile." Lucy leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. "Thank you Loke..."

Loke kept her close to him and looked down at her. He wiped her tears away gently with his thumb and gave her a tender smile.

"I thought you'd like it." He lowered his hand to his side, and managed to meet hers on the way down. Their fingers intertwined, so naturally.

"You don't need to worry, love. One day you can join me in the stars."

He knew she wouldn't know what he meant, so he just smirked and kept quiet after that. He enjoyed this moment.

" I've never brought anyone up here before..."

Lucy allowed him to intertwine his fingers with hers. She watched his facial expressions. The way he worded everything just brought a smile to her face. He really was a ladies man wasn't he?

"Really? Never?" Lucy cocked her head to the side, and raised her eyebrow. Did she really mean this much to him?

He smiled down at her as she kissed his cheek. "Nope, never."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, squeezing his hand tighter.

"You're the best Loke..."

Still smiling, the lion gazed back out at the stars,

" I'm not supposed to bring anyone back to the spirit world actually." He bit his lip slightly and glanced at her,

"Then again, you're not just anyone. I think that it's an exception." The lion had an air of confidence about him.

Lucy beamed. Her cheeks were a soft rosy tint. She looked away, reaching her hand behind her head and sniggered. "You really have a way with words don't you?" She proceeded to stand up, still smiling.

"And I'm honored to be the first you've brought here. It means a lot to me that you care this much about me."

Loke simply smiled warmly and kissed her forehead tenderly. "its because you mean a lot to me. Without you I wouldn't be standing here"

Lucy quickly grabbed his wrist.

"Come on. I want that lasagna."

The blonde winked at her spirit. Her mood had changed so quickly. He really did know her well...

Although she still couldn't fathom that he truly loved her. She always thought it was just lust, because of her large breasts and slim body. She always got hit on.

Never in a million years had she thought that someone would respect her, but Loke did. She loved that about him so much.

Even thoughl he could be a pervert at times! She was getting used to it.

She just hoped that this would never end. She was truly, madly, unconditionally, and irrevocably in love with Loke. She just couldn't see herself with anyone else. Lucy felt herself blush at the thought, and bit her lip, smirking to herself.

Loke chuckled as she lead him away,

"Do you know where you're going?" He grinned.

"Come on, allow me to show you around my home." He took her hand and sparkled off the roof , then appeared into the grand hall. Marble and ebony, gold and diamond. If this was the human world you'd need to own a country or something to live this well.

This wasn't even his family home, it was just where he lives! Not to mention that a few members of staff greeted him with a surprised expression when he showed up with Lucy at his side. He nodded to them, they gave them a slight bow.

"Welcome home, Prince Leo." they greeted.

"AHA - Thanks guys!" He was a little startled to see them, but beamed happily, not taking into account of the title they gave him.

 _Prince Loke huh?_ She smirked at the thought of being called princess Lucy, although Virgo already referred to her as Princess.

Lucy genuinely smiled and bowed at the staff, Who seemed a bit thrown off by her presence. Her head anchored backwards, staring in amazement at every little detail of the hall ways. It was almost like it wasn't even real.

"Welcome to my place, Lucy." He lead her to the Kitchen with a big grin on his face. It was fair to say that you could fit Lucy's entire apartment inside just the kitchen itself, and maybe two in the hallway! Hey, space is infinite.

As they reached the kitchen Lucy muttered some unlady-like words under her breath. "Holy shit..." Her eyes grew immensely. Marble counter tops, stainless steel pots and pans hanging from golden hooks. She turned her her attention back towards her spirit who was looking around for ingredients.

"Allow me to show you the wonders of my cooking skills. You will be dazzled!" he laughed and leaned against a cupboard. Everything was glittering and shiny, the Prince really did look at home. He was pretty excited to have Lucy around.

Her arms rested against the marble counter tops, leaning forward, her eyes were glued to Loke.

"Oh is that so? I'll have to be the judge of that!" A smirk crept on her face. She loved how confident he was.

Loke had hoped she'd be impressed. He'd put a lot of hard work into making it look glorious. He pulled ingredients out of the cupboard and put them down on the side. This will be the best freakin' lasagna ever! Or he'd hoped.

"Hmmm.." she tilted her head and walked around the counter and glided over next to him.

Lucy couldn't resist it anymore. She reached up and took his glasses and slid them on her face.

"Sexy, right?" She stood tall and gave him a lustful look. She absolutely loved teasing him. _Heh heh…_

Loke turned to her, and just like that she had his shades on. _Oh my god._ "..." He looked down at her with his hazel and gold speckled eyes. The lion picked her up swiftly with his arms and leaned her on the counter.

"Ridiculously sexy" He said with that low, silky tone of voice.

The lion leaned in and kissed her with a smirk. He did like these distractions. He also pondered how she'd still be hungry after eating Capricorns vegetable special whatever it was. _Heh, cute._ _Did she just want him to cook for her?_ Maybe it was so she could admire his ass like she did when he'd cooked her pancakes. Oh yeah, he noticed.

Lucy, who was covered in goosebumps, let out a moan as she was pushed against the counter. _Gahh_ , How did he know that was one of her weakness? She wrapped her arms around the lions next, twirling her fingers through the back of his hair.

It seemed like she couldn't control her own body movements anymore. She reached behind her, placed one hand on the counter to balance herself and hopped up, and wrapped her legs around his waist tightly. This deepened this kiss immensely. What was she doing? It was definitely too soon for this…

Loke blushed slightly as she let out the moan. What did he just do!? Guess he just found one of her weaknesses. _Sweet._ As she deepened the kiss he trailed his hand down her back, admiring her curves. _Oh god she was sexy. GAH._ Loke could feel his heart beating hard in his chest, he honestly wasn't expecting her to wrap herself around him so passionately.

Lucy pulled away from the kiss slowly, their lips still grazing each others. She felt like she was out of breath from all the adrenaline pumping through her body. They locked eyes, everything was silent except the strangled sounds of their heavy breathing. She glanced down at his lips that were shaking, then back to his eyes, biting her own lip. She had to hold back her urges. She wanted her first time to be special. Not on a kitchen counter.

"S-Sorry about that...I suppose I got carried away..."

He looked down at her lips, then back up to her eyes as she spoke. All he could muster was a bit of a surprised stutter, "N-no, it's fine..." He gave her a soft smile. _Maybe she isn't hungry for food?_ He shook the thought out of his head. _Stop being a pervert Loke._ "I _love_ distractions..."

His staff could be heard outside, gardening.

"You still want me to cook?" he rested his head on hers, catching his breath, which she'd stolen from him. It was great.

Lucy who was still breathing heavily, shook her head.

"I don't think that's what I'm hungry for..." she turned her head away for a moment. She still didn't have full control over her actions. Her cheeks were burning, and her heart felt like it was going to explode.

"I mean...uhh...if you want to.."

Her legs were still wrapped tightly around his waist. She tried so hard to ignore the feeling of his semi-erection pressing against her. _GAH!_ Lucy whimpered as she hopped down, wiggling her legs together, trying hard to erase the tingling sensation between her legs. _Hnnngg.._

 _'God Dammit Lucy, what are you doing to my head. I am feeling all fuzzy'_ he thought to himself as she spoke. What was she saying? He tilted his head at her, cheeks flushed crimson. He thought Lucy liked it old fashioned and only a few days ago was she slapping his hand away. Despite his urges and the massive tease that she was he couldn't. He promised no funny business and he was very sure this is definitely what constituted as _'funny business'_. How frustrating!

"Lucy..." He said quietly.

"I'd never force you into anything, I'm not that kind of guy." He rubbed the back of his head slightly.

"Besides, there are plenty of things I need to show you before any... ' _Funny business'_ happened"

He smiled at her warmly. He took her hand and kissed it softly.

"I'd need to take you back to Earthland soon anyway..." he said, looking up at her. His heart was still racing. This will not be leaving his mind for a while.

She tilted her head.

"Why so soon?"

"A human in the spirit world isn't a natural occurrence, beautiful. You may start to feel sick if you're here too long" Loke ran his fingers through her hair gently. He didn't want her to leave but didn't want to make hers sick.

Lucy didn't want to leave. She enjoyed being here with Loke away from everyone, not having to listen to everyone mock her love with Loke... _OH GOD THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW YET!_

Lucy began to panic.

"Loke how are we gonna tell the guild? Oh god...Natsu, Gray, & Erza are gonna chew you out!"

Lucy rambled on, talking quite fast. She just knew Mira would ask her if there was any dirty details. She grabbed two handfuls of her hair, and with a sour face groaned with irritation. "Ughhh great...this should be fun huh?"

He chuckled quietly at her reaction to telling the guild, and placed his thumb on her chin, carefully tilting her head up to his with a grin.

"I don't mind it being our little secret if you don't wanna tell them." He smirked.

"Then again... I don't think they'd believe you. I can take any punishment they throw at me, don't worry." He gave her a broad smile and went down to kiss her again.

Just at that moment, a few members of his staff walked through the hallway, one of them, a young ginger female knocked on the kitchen door,

"Uh... Sir, I-I think you should leave soon, they heard you were back and wanted to visit... " she stuttered.

Loke's eyes grew wide slightly, "Ahahahah... Thank you. We should get out of here for a while... We're still on a mission right?"

' _Who is she talking about?_ ' Lucy raised her brow when she noticed his expression. _It better not be another female,_ she thought. "Hmm..." Lucy yawned and rubbed her heavy eyes. She was starting to feel slightly dizzy.

Her body was tingly, and not in a good way.

"Loke can you take me ho-" before she could finish, Her heart started racing like she just ran a marathon, and her mind went blank. Next thing she knew, she staggered backwards and blacked out.


	7. Chapter 7: Ashton of Blue Pegasuses

**Chapter Seven - Ashton of the Blue Pegasus Guild**

Staying in the celestial world too long can be dangerous for a human, especially when not granted special access by the spirit king. It was considered a big taboo, maybe even a breach of contract to go into the spirit world, but Loke invited her himself. He was more than happy to break the rules if it saw Lucy smile. Surely an invite was enough anyway!

Either way, the time Lucy Heartfilia spent in the spirit world was starting to take a toll on her body. Her head started to hurt and then, she had blacked out.

Loke grabbed her in his arms and scooped her up.

"Lucy?!" He held her carefully. This body started to glow brightly, taking her back to the human world. They were back on the beach. Loke carried her back to the hut. He picked up her things and started to walk back through the forest with Lucy, warmly wrapped up in his coat. It was still dark, but at least the rain had stopped. _Time to take Lucy home._

The little droplets of rain water pattered on the ground around them. There were big puddles and a moist taste to the air. The moon shone through the tree's, basking them in a silver blanket of light.

Suddenly, Sagittarius appeared beside Leo,

"Do you know where you're going Leo-sama?"

Loke jumped slightly at his sudden appearance,

"I have a rough idea..." Loke pouted at his friend, then glanced down at Lucy in his arms.

"I'll lead the way then." The horse head walked out in front, confidently.

"Thanks Sagittarius." He smiled slightly, following his lead. There was a lot of trust between the two spirits.

Lucy peaked one eye open. Her head was pounding. She's had headaches before, but nothing like this. The pain made her stomach churn. _'Please don't get sick, please don't get sick..'_ she thought to herself as she raised her hand and pressed it against her forehead.

"Ughhh..What the Hell happened?" She anchored her head back slowly, looking up at her spirit.

 _Is Loke carrying me home?_

Although she had a killer headache, she felt content in his arms. A half smile appeared on her face. She remembered blacking out in Loke's place. He must have been carrying her for awhile.

Things began to appear familiar...extremely familiar. She looked away, and noticed Sagittarius walking along side of Loke. She rubbed her eyes, making sure she wasn't just delusional. Nope, that was definitely Sagittarius.

"Hey Sagittarius..." her voice was raspy. Her mouth was so dry. Almost as if she swallowed a handful of sand.

Sagittarius looked over and saluted to Lucy. "Good day miss." He smiled, Bowing his large horse head down to her.

Loke smirked at the quirky spirit. He was a good friend.

"What are you doing here?" His large horse head always amused her. She loved how unique all her spirits were.

"I am leading you back to the road, Miss Lucy." He looked out in front and pressed his palm onto his brow, looking for the road.

"Thank you." The blonde smiled at him.

Lucy then turned her attention back towards Loke, then reached up and cupped his cheek.

"I can walk now..."

As Lucy spoke to him, he glanced down at her .

"Nope." He grinned at her enthusiasm.

"Your legs are shaking. I'm carrying you." His hair was wet from all the trees, it stuck to his face. His shades sat on his nose slightly, so he was looking over them to see her. He had a black t shirt on, with his camo green coat wrapped around Lucy to keep her warm.

She pouted at Loke, but he was right. Lucy could barely move her legs. Why? It's not like she ran a marathon, which she could do that in a breeze...and could probably do it faster if her large breast didn't hold her down.

She took the sides of his jacket and pulled it around her tighter.

"Aren't you cold Loke?"

She noticed his damp hair. The way droplets of rain rolled off the tips every now and then... It made her want him then and there.. _Oh my - those thoughts again._ She blushed at the thought of it. She was sure Sagittarius wouldn't appreciate his owner doing such dirty things in front of him.

Loke glanced down into her eyes, noticing the way she was looking at him. "..." His lips rolled into a smirk. He'd seen that look before.

"I'm alright, Beautiful."

A drop rolled off and onto Lucy's nose. She twitched her nose and make a cross eyed face. "Chuu!~" she let out a mouse like sneeze. Kyaaa! Why did she have to sneeze like some sissy?

Loke found Lucy's sneeze adorable, it made him smirk more. Now he was just carrying her with a goofy stupid smile on his face.

Lucy noticed her spirit smirking which caused her to pout harder. He always smirked when she did something embarrassing.

Sagittarius pointed to a small town on the horizon. It was where the prison was, the end of their mission. "I did assume you wished to complete this mission, Miss Lucy. Leo-Sama will get you a train home afterwards." He nodded to Sagittarius's words.

 _Sigh.._

"Of course we're going to complete the mission... Fairy tail Honor..." Lucy squinted, her head was still pounding, but her stomach had calmed down. Thank goodness. She grinned and snatched Lokes shades.

"I enjoy your glasses better, but this will work!" She slid them on her face and snarled, wrinkling her forehead and nose.

"Am I intimidating enough?" She tried to be serious, but bursted out laughing at her spirits facial expressions. "Ouuch! Bad idea...heh..." she rubbed her head. Laughing probably wasn't the smartest thing to do right now.

Loke blinked at her outburst then cracked up laughing along with Sagittarius. They were not expecting that from Lucy.

"Very intimidating" Loke laughed.

As they continued walking, Sagittarius stopped and turned to them both. He bowed his head. "I've shown you the way Miss, please excuse me." He began to sparkle to leave.

"Thanks buddy." Loke smiled to his friend. He'd been walking for a few hours, holding her in his arms. His t-shirt was wet on his back, he didn't seem to care.

"Take care Sagittarius!" Lucy beamed.

As he vanished Lucy tried to wiggle free of Loke's grasp.

"You have to be tired. Just put me down!" They argued back and forth until Lucy finally realized she wasn't going to get what she wanted. "Fine, But at least let me make it up you later with a back rub. Kay?"

Loke liked the idea of a back rub and agreed to those terms. "Alright, sounds fair to me." He was aching all over.

They finally reached the prison gates. Big silver steel beams stood up well over 60 feet. A few guards jogged over their way and pulled the gates open. There were some guards that were with them on the mission stood around talking amongst themselves upon their arrival.

Lucy could finally see the building. Barbed wire lined the bottom of its walls. Very intimidating.

The rooms were a bit off the ground so if anyone tried to jump, you would either die slowly in agony, or you would have some pretty gruesome wounds.

Lucy shuddered. She didn't even like the thought of cutting herself while shaving.

"We thought you guys were goners!" Said one blonde headed freckle faced boy. He had to be about Lucy's age if not a little old.

She smirked. "Don't doubt a Fairy tail member!"

The boy blushed at Lucy and turned back towards the big wooden doors with metal frame.

"Y-Yes ma'am! Now P-please follow me..." the boy scurried ahead, his sour faced partner not far behind.

Lucy placed one last kiss on Loke's cheek before they entered the building. "Can you let me down now? I'm sure this isn't professional now is it?"

He glanced around taking in the area. The lion had to agree with her, suppose it wasn't the most professional way to finish a mission.

"Okay, Beautiful. Just know I'll be there to catch you if you need me." He put her down carefully with a warm smile.

Lucy balanced herself against him, trying to shake off the numb feeling in her legs. They almost felt like jello.

Finally, after a few seconds the feeling began to come back.

"Phew!" She wiggled her toes and trotted beside her spirit. Her headache was slowly beginning to fade.

She was still wearing his shades, trying to look intimidating. "I might have to steal these from you!" She smirked. Loke grinned as she continued to wear his shades. He wasn't going to tell her they were too big for her pretty little face, she was enjoying herself wearing them. She looked cute in them too!

The blonde guard turned the corner and pushed open some double doors. Lucy slid the glasses down the rim of her nose and skimmed the room.

There was a extremely muscular man. He had salt and pepper hair, and a 5o'clock shadow. He seemed to be in his early 50's.

"I would like to formally apologize for what happened yesterday. My officers had no right to leave you behind. So they're giving you a bonus out of EACH of their pay cheques. Again I apologize for their carelessness."

He rubbed his temples and sighed deeply. "Do you think could you do one last thing for us?" He added.

Her lion stood alongside, surprised by the officers generosity. Then he asked the question. _One more thing. Haven't we done enough!?_ Loke tilted his head to the side,

"What is it?" He asked, curiously.

The man removed his cap, sighing deeply, and pushed his hair back with his fingers.

"Well you see, Eric isn't the only one from Blue Pegasus that we've had troubles with. The guild itself has been trying to over take our land. We didn't know why until Eric finally broke, thanks to your help... It seems that... Blue Pegasus wants to bring back Nirvana, and they need our land to do so. Not many people know, but our land had very powerful magic in the soil. We have not yet identified the kind of magic, we just know it's powerful. That's one of the reasons why our produce is so large. I need you to try and figure out what it is before they bring chaos to our city..."

He stood up, rubbing his 5o'clock shadow. "The leader of this is a young man named Ashton." He looked down slightly, "And... He's my son."

The man's voice crackled when he said his son's name, as if he was about to cry.

Loke paused again in his tracks. _Blue Pegasus?!_ Loke knew Bob, he wouldn't do this would he!?

"W-what? ... That can't be right..." He questioned it. Did his time in Earthland 'hanging out' with the Blue Pegasus girls, whilst working for fairy tail mean nothing? He thought he had a pretty good idea of everyone in that guild. He was starting to doubt himself.

Loke glanced at Lucy. _Nirvana? That's way too dangerous._ He can't just ask that as a passing favour can he?!

"How long was Ashton a part of that guild for?" He stared at the guard directly. He didn't want Lucy getting into any trouble that may cause her anymore harm.

The man strolled around the desk and walked towards them.

"He's only been apart for a year now. Everything was fine until he joined. He has always been a troublemaker. I don't know how he gained so much control in such little time being there. Blue Pegasus was never like this until he joined. It's almost like they're being controlled."

Lucy pulled off the sunglasses and crossed her arms. She spoke with a low, serious voice. "Perhaps they _are_ being controlled, because I can't see Bob doing this. He may be...creepy, but he has a good heart."

She glanced up at Loke who was a bit tense. He shouldn't have to keep dealing with this crap, but knew he wouldn't leave her alone. She stood tall and raised her hand to her chest.

"I accept this mission."

"Agreed. Bob would never do this, he cares too much..." There was a serious tone to Loke's voice. Bob was a man who he could trust, a man who he confided in about Karen's abuse to Aries in the past. Bob looked out for both spirits and, he was the one who told Loke the news of her death. The Blue Pegasus guild master the one who advised him to start living like a human, make the most of Earthland life as it were his last. That's why Loke found fairy tail.

Loke knew Lucy was both smart and strong willed. He had to agree with her judgement on this, he must have been controlled.

He walked to Lucy's side.

"Me too." He was still a fairy tail wizard after all. " _We_ accept this mission." He glanced at her slightly.

Lucy looked up at Loke with a confident smirk and nodded. "I promise to bring your son back safely...Mister...uh what exactly is your name?"

"Oh forgive me. I'm Kurt Smith. The Warden of this prison, but you can just call me Smitty..."

He held out his right hand, "Thank you both so much...I just want to keep this city safe and have my son back..." he gave them a half smile as he shook their hands.

"It's our pleasure as Fairy Tail members to protect those who can't protect themselves. I swear we won't give up."

Lucy, who was screaming and trembling on the inside, seemed very confident on the outside. Although she was scared shitless, she knew lives were on the line...THAT WASN'T ACCEPTABLE!

"You ready Loke?"

Loke gave her a confident look, raised her hand and placed his against it.

"I'm ready." He looked into her eyes and couldn't help but raise a smile at her. That look on her face... She was passionate about the guild. She was passionate about protecting people. He knew that all too well.

He clasped her hand.

"Let's do this, for Fairy Tail's good name, we won't let them be controlled. They're people, they can feel and shouldn't be used as his tools." A subject he felt oh too strongly about.

Out of nowhere Smitty began to sob. He rushed into Lucy's arms and rubbed his face into her breast sobbing. Lucy could feel his scruff rubbing against her, and it didn't feel too great.

"I JUST WANT MY LITTLE BOY BACK! THE ONE WHO USE TO CALL ME HIS HERO! WAAAHHH!" He wept.

Out of pity, Lucy patted his head, trying to hold back the urge to smack him. She looked up at Loke and mouthed the world's. _"Help me."_

"Hey Smitty."

He gently pushed him back as he spoke, separating the sobbing man from Lucy's precious chest (he felt it wouldn't be right knocking him out right after being handed a very intense mission request).

"We will get him back. You've got fairy tail on your side, and you've just seen us survive a 50ft drop off a cliff and being shot. Don't worry, we got this." He managed to stand in front of Lucy as he spoke to him and offered his hand for him to shake.

"We will get your kid back, don't worry." He had a serious, confident look on his face as he spoke.

Smitty shook his hand, still sobbing. "Thank you again!"

Lucy grabbed her spirit and dragged him out of the door. She raised her hand, waving farewell to Smitty.

She stopped dragging Loke as the doors slammed shut. "Thanks for saving me...again" she chuckled. "My poor girls are all red from his scruff. It kinda hurts."

He smirked at her comment, glancing down, following her gaze.

"... You call them your girls?"

He blinked, actually oblivious that they were both staring at her chest.

"Would you like me to kiss it better?" Now he really didn't know he was saying this out loud. He continued to stare like he hadn't said it.

Lucy's left eye twitched as she lifted her leg, swung it up into the air and Lucy kicked Loke in the side of the head.

"I LET THE ASS STARING SLIDE, BUT I'M GETTING REALLY IRRITATED WITH THIS PERVERTED STUFF!" She turned away huffing angrily, and began to walk away, not even worried about if he was injured or not. She already had to deal with a 50 year old mans face in her breast, _although she would have rather it been Loke_ , she was still upset with his ways. She stormed out of the wooden doors, gritting her teeth.

"Such a idiot!"

Loke rubbed the side of his head with a smirk, trying to hold in a slight snigger. ' _Guess I did just say that out loud. Oops.'_

He deserved that one. Still, his mind was still other places. She teased him too much.

He simply followed behind her, quietly for a while before managing to stifle a reply rather awkwardly.

"Sorry Lucy." His hands were in his pockets as he followed behind, he had a red mark on the side of his face from the kick.

He tilted his head and gave her a gentle smile.

Lucy glanced back at him and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, whatever...tsssh"

She continued to walk until she saw a small wooded area.

 _'Well that was awkward.'_ Loke couldn't help it and simply followed her through the woods, quietly.

"I suppose we should figure out what's in this soil huh?" Lucy dropped to her knees, picking up some dirt, letting it flow through her fingers.

"Hmm...whats this? It had blue shards in it." She picked up more dirt, only to be pricked by a bigger blue shard.

"Sssss! Ahh! Damn...that's sharp!"

Loke walked over and knelt in the dirt, picking up the blue shard that pricked her finger.

"Careful, Beautiful."

He raised it to the air, tilting his head, examining it. "Is it some kind of lacroma?"

She pressed her lips together and raised a brow.

"Hmmm, could be." She pulled out a small cloth and wrapped her finger up.

"Ahh better!...Now, why do you think Ashton is doing this? Could it just be power getting to his head?" Lucy stared at Loke waiting for an answer.

Loke looked closely at the lacroma, carefully sending some Regulus to his fingertips, lighting it up some more to see if it revealed anything else. "Hmm..."

The lion pondered for a moment, "Blue Pegasus being controlled, Nirvana and these things... How are they linked?" He couldn't put his finger on it. Did these control people? He had no idea.

She smiled softly. How could she be mad at him? Pervert or not...He did save her life.

"And...I apologize for kicking you. You didn't deserve that after all you've done for me..."

He glanced up at her, "Don't worry about that Lucy, I shouldn't of been gorping." He smiled at her, still shining Regulus through the blue shard.

Lucy leaned closer, gazing at the lacroma. "Woaah.." she turned her face towards him and kissed the spot where she kicked him. Her lips stayed there for a good 5 seconds before turning her attention back to the Lacroma.

Loke smiled warmly as she kissed his face. It was little gestures of kindness like this that he adored about Lucy.

"Do you think he'll be able to restore Nirvana? " she looked deep into his eyes, he could tell she was nervous.

"Do you really think this kid has the power to actually restore it himself? They needed Jellal last time...He can't be that powerful?" Loke replied.

He gripped It a bit tighter, his light glowing gold. He'd slightly cut his finger slightly doing this, but ignored it when the shard started to glow blue back at him. "Hm?" He blinked at it.

"What is it doing?" He asked himself through a mutter.

"Hmm..not sure yet. To soon to tell..."

She placed her finger on her chin.

"But we know Jellal isn't bad anymore...Well it really wasn't his fault for being taken over by Zeref...Perhaps someone new has been taken over?"

She pondered the thought and shook her head.

"Smitty said the magic in the ground helps their produce grow, right?" Lucy stood up, placing her hands on her hips...

"You don't think they're using good magic to do bad things...do you?" She stared down at him, awaiting his answer.

Loke looked at her, "Good magic to do bad things?" He looked back at the shard.

"You think they're harvesting this magic for something bigger?" Loke rolled the glowing blue lacroma into his palm and looked at it, ignoring the small trace of golden blood on his finger tip.

"Suppose if they found a way to gather an awful lot of these things, that would produce a lot of magic energy, right?" he looked back at her. He wasn't really sure where he was going with this.

"Oh how wonderful..." she groaned and cupped her cheeks shaking her head.

"What did we get ourselves into?" She frowned, before something caught the light in her eyes.

"Wait..huh?" She walked over to a small creek and bent down, lacroma beamed through the waters, the light intently growing...

"Uhh Loke...come check this out..." this lacroma was a different shade of blue, it was darker, almost black. Lucy reached her hand out to grab one, almost memorized by the light...

Loke walked over to her, his eyes widened as he looked down.

"Lucy. Wait. These are different!" He knelt down, and looked at them closely.

"These look impure..." He pondered. What could this cause with them being in the water supply.

"Please allow me to examine one..." He glanced at her, indicating that he didn't want her to get hurt.

Lucy snapped out of it. She blinked and looked over at Loke. "Impure? I wonder where the water source leads to..."

Lucy scratched the back of her head as her spirit examined a shard. When he pulled it out of the water a dark purple aura surrounded it. "I wonder what would happen if you combined the two different lacromas..." She asked, staring at them.

Loke turned his head to Lucy. She really was thinking outside the box.

"Combined them?" He hadn't thought of that. "You think it would be a good idea? I mean these are pretty small shards..." He raised them in his hands. There was a urge to clash them together the longer he held them. It was overwhelming.

Lucy grabbed his hand quickly,

"Just because I thought of it doesn't mean it's a good idea! What if we put them together and we BOTH blow up?"

Lucy grabbed the lighter lacroma.

"If we're gonna do this we need to do it right." Lucy stood up and held out the lacroma, examining it.

"Hmm...well..we should QUICKLY clash them together and run for it, just in case...because I really don't want to die just yet...I haven't gotten to spend much time with-"

He smiled at her words, she could always make him smile.

"Hm you may have a point but I don't know.." He looked at the stones.

Lucy stopped and looked away smiling. She should really focus on this mission, but her heart was still racing from their _'kitchen counter experience'_ earlier. The way his hot breath rolled against her neck...The way he passionately kissed her...The way his- _KYAAA!_ She was so distracted with her thoughts,

Lucy dropped the lighter lacroma. It fell closer and closer towards the water. "Damnit!"

"I don't think we should-" Loke paused, wide eyed. Lucy had dropped it.

The lacroma bounced off the edge and clinked on a rock, finally plopping into the water. As Loke watched, it felt as if it went in slow motion, watching it clip with the black lacroma in the water gently.

There was a soft whirring noise then,

 _BOOOOOOM!_

The light was unbearable as they two stones collided. It shot a pulsating beam into the air quickly, then blasted outwards.

Loke's eyes widened and he turned back, grabbed Lucy quickly and pushed her away from the light, shielding her body from the crazy explosive reaction that erupted out of the water.

"Lucy! Close your eyes!" He swung his arms around her, shielding her with his body.

Lucy couldn't even move after she had dropped the lacroma. She just watched it slowly fall, her heart pounding. As it clicked against a rock, she snapped back into reality.

"Loke ru-" before she could say anything else a loud booming pierced her ears. As Loke shielded her, she braced herself against him as hard as she could, listening to his demand.

It blasted the area around them, sending a shockwave out about 30 metres in diameter. Trees were uprooted and the ground cracked...


	8. Chapter 8: Blue Pegasuses

Chapter Eight - Blue Pegasus

As the dust cleared Loke was still standing _(just)_. He was panting heavily in pain, his back had taken a blast of that magic, causing his suit to smoke and smolder slightly, he back took quite the beating. He gulped down the pain, winced slightly and checked on Lucy who he had protected.

"I-I guess that answers that question...Hah..." He forced a smile, through his staggered breath.

"Let's... Let's not do that again..."

Lucy quickly slipped his arm over her shoulder, balancing him against her so he wouldn't fall.

"Loke I'm such an idiot. I'm so sorry! This is the millionth time you've gotten hurt from protecting me." She gazed up at him with worried eyes.

"Go back to the celestial world and heal. I'll go find a hotel to stay in okay? Please listen to me..."

"Lucy..." He had to agree with her, he hadn't recovered from the last time, this one just topped it off. He needed to go back.

"Don't apologize for that. I'm living up to my promise..." He walked with her helping him. "Ngh...of protecting you with my life."

He could feel a burning in his back. He wasn't sure what sort of magic that was but it wasn't a nice feeling. Golden blood dripped down his back, which glimmered and burst into tiny sparkles.

"Don't do anything crazy whilst I recover, you hear..." He smiled at her,

"I want you in one piece." His legs were giving away slightly, he was becoming shaky.

"I promise I'll be okay!" Her voice cracked as she forced herself not to cry. She knew he wouldn't blame her, but she still felt responsible. She let HER dirty thoughts get in the way and now Loke was hurt.

He turned to her, and with the last ounce of his strength kissed her forehead gently, before fading back through his gate.

"I'll be as fast as possible..." His voice trailed off as his light began to fade back to his key.

Surprised by the kiss, she went to kiss him back. It was too late he was already vanishing.

"Please be okay.." she reached her hand through the golden sparkles. As he completely vanished she frowned more.

"I'm such an idiot..." she sighed deeply and began walking towards town again.

The lion collapsed on his floor in the spirit world, where his staff found him. They took him to his room so he could heal up. It was just part of their job. Once their house zodiac returned from serving their human, these guys were here to help. Not that Lucy would know this, of course.

Lucy found a reasonably priced hotel with a beautiful view of the mountains. She pulled her clothes off, and threw them onto the floor and stepped into the large bath. Her muscles immediately began to relax.

"Ahhh much better.." she sunk down into the foam, only her nose and up was above the water. Lucy blew some bubbles as she sighed and began to think to herself.

 _'How could I get mad at him for being a pervert...but when I'm being one It's okay? Now he's hurt...Ughhh! I_ _should be the one hurt. Not him...'_ she sunk all the way down into water and quickly came back up, pushing her hair out of her eyes and perked up.

"I know exactly how to make it up to him!" She beamed and clasped her hands together. "I know he'll love this!"

Loke finally awoke in his bed, and winced at his aches.

"Argh man... Still not as bad as the fight with Angel and Aries..." He joked as he pulled himself up. His staff had bandaged him up.

Loke walked through his home topless, patched up with bandages all up around his torso.

"Nothing like soaking in a big tub to sooth your pain..." He pushed open two large ebony doors, to enter a room with a huge walk in bath. It was ridiculous. It's like a bathhouse in his home.

He closed the door behind him and removed the bandages from his torso, threw his trousers on the side along with everything else and walked into the warming waters. _Bliss._ He could sleep right there. "Mm..." Spirits healed remarkably fast when under the light of their stars.

Loke closed his eyes, he could see Lucy in the hotel and his eyes snapped back open.

"...Heh." He cracked a small dirty laugh. "Oops…"

It seemed she was enjoying a bath too, probably shouldn't pry on that one, since she left her keys on the side in the bathroom. Anyone could just appear...

Lucy quickly finished her bath and hopped out. She gracefully wrapped a towel around her soaking body and stretched slightly.

She gazed into the foggy mirror, then used her index finger to write out "Loke & Lucy" inside of a heart. She smiled. Their names looked good together. Lucy quickly rubbed it out with a little blush,

"Hehe."

She slipped into a pair of black shorts and a dark purple tank top. She plopped down onto the burgundy love seat, almost being consumed by it. There was a small fireplace, above was a large picture frame. To Lucy's surprise there was a picture of a lion.

"Loke..." she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them, wondering how he was doing.

Loke had relaxed in his over sized bath and stepped out, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He had a smirk across his lips.

"Did you choose the lion hotel thinking of me?" His voice spoke through his key. He rather liked this telepathic link with key and owner. He wandered around his home,

"Hope you aren't missing me too much, I should be fine soon, so don't look so worried." His voice was cheerful.

Lucy jumped out of her chair and fell to the ground face first when she heard Loke's voice.

Loke smiled as he wandered around putting on his suit trousers casually, listening to her. _Did she just fall over? Oops._

"WHA-AT?! LOKE?!" she hopped up and looked around furiously until she realized he was speaking to her from his gate key. Her eye's sparkled and a big grin spread across her face.

"Didn't mean to scare you Lucy, and thank you." He now put his belt on, wandering around topless. His back was exposed, still with loose stitches down the back that were healing.

"I'm glad you're gonna be okay!" Her voice was high pitched, more than usual. She grabbed his key and hopped into bed, laying the key next to her.

"You take all the time you need...I'll be right here waiting for you…"

She held the key closer to her heart.

"...Hey Loke...I love you."

Her words warmed his heart, he still couldn't really believe he was hearing it.

"I love you too, Lucy-"

Lucy blushed uncontrollably when he said it back. Kyaaa! She smiled brightly, and shoved her face into a pillow.

He was about to say more but shrieked slightly, "Whaa-" He'd had a shock, seeing someone appear in front of him.

"What are you doing here!?"

The voice wasn't clear at first, especially to Lucy as it was only Loke's voice she could hear. After a few moments of quiet, a new voice appeared through another one of Lucy's keys.

"Heheh...huh?" Lucy heard another voice...a very very familiar voice.

Virgo had appeared in Loke's house and scared the life out of him.

"Virgo?! Kyaaa!" Lucy sat up and shook her head. 'I hope she didn't hear that..." she heard Loke scream and she stared at his key as if she was watching a horror movie.

"Excuse the intrusion, but big brother needs his stitches re-sewn so he can heal quicker. You may punish me if you like."

Loke stumbled back as Virgo began to follow him with a needle

"Stay still big brother." Virgo managed to pin him on the floor and was sitting on his back.

"Virgo! Argh! Ow, watch where you're sticking that thing" Loke frowned, having a needle and stitching ran through his wounds, re sewing them back up.

"Don't be such a kitten about it" Virgo said blankly.

After she realized Virgo was tending to his wounds she calmly giggled.

"Come on Loke! Don't be such a baby."

"Ngh, I hate being stitched up. Lucy, I'll be there in a few hours. I promise."

She covered her mouth, trying to hold back the uncontrollable giggles.

"Oh and Virgo! If baby causes you anymore trouble, feel free to call me again. I'll set him straight!"

"Mr crybaby!?" He said from his floor, "How rude!" he joked as Virgo pushed his head down to keep him still. "Stop moving, Big brother Leo." He groaned at this, "Fine..." He smirked.

Lucy flopped back onto the pillows, her laughter dimmed down as she yawned. She hadn't realized how tired she was until now. Lucy pulled the covers over her, listening to Loke trying to fight Virgo away. She closed her eyes and kissed his key.

"Hehe, okay… Goodnight Virgo...Goodnight Loke...sleep...well..." Lucy's words trailed off. Moments later she was fast asleep…

Lucy was drifting off to sleep. "Good night, Lucy. Sleep well, Princess.." He smirked even more at the title Virgo always gave her. Although in his eyes, she was a princess.

Virgo gave him a slight whack on the back of the head. "Let the princess sleep."

They ended their connection to Lucy. Virgo continued to stitch Loke up and glanced down at his back, tilting her head.

"Leo, what's this?"

She gripped a hold of a small shard that was still stuck in his skin and yanked it out.

"Ow!"

Virgo looked down at the Lacroma she just pulled at him. Loke turned his head back to see it. _A lacroma? Or what's left of one anyway._

"Hmph, thanks for getting that out. "

Virgo put it down and continued stitching his back up.

"What happened?" She questioned him.

"Lucy took a new mission to find a kid named Ashton who's been controlling Blue Pegasus... they want to restore Nirvana..."

Virgo tilted her head, curiously.

"Best warn the spirits to be alert and make themselves available to be called..." Loke said to her.

She nodded and agreed to do so.

"You're going back to the human world, aren't you big brother?" Loke smirked again,

"Of course I am."

A few hours passed, Loke was bandaged up under his shirt (The lacroma seemed to of slowed that down) but had his suit back on, he was sparkling as if nothing happened. He may get in trouble for this but he did promise to be back in a few hours (which would be the middle of the night).

Loke appeared from his key, and stood in her hotel room. He looked around and admired it through the darkness. It was an all in one suite complete with a little kitchen and sectioned off bathroom. Very cozy!

The lion spotted Lucy hugging his gate key. She had it in her hands against her cheek sweetly as she snoozed.

He gave her a loving smile and laid down next to her, tucking her into her covers. Loke stared at the ceiling thinking about the mission in some detail. His eyes grew heavy. Finally, he found himself drifting off to sleep next to her.

Lucy opened one eye, groaning as she saw the sun hadn't even risen yet.

"Sooo early..." she shifted, scooting closer to Loke (whom she didn't realize was there yet).

Lucy inhaled, smiling softly.

' _These pillows didn't smell this nice last night.'_ She thought to herself. She wrapped her arms around the _pillow_ taking in the intoxicating smell.

 _'Wait..why is the pillow...breathing?'_ She anchored her neck back, her eyes snapped open... _Loke?!_

Since it was still dark out, all she could see was a small night light that shimmered on his glasses and his ginger hair. She held her lion close, laying her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. It was so soothing.

 _'Thump Thump Thump'_

She took one more deep breath,then sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was so exhausted, but wanted to surprise him with something before they continued their mission.

She slowly climbed over him, hoping she wouldn't wake him. Before crawling off she leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Sleep well my prince..."

Lucy dragged herself into the kitchen and started up a pot of coffee. She pulled out some ingredients she had bought before she checked in at the hotel. Lucy peeked around the corner seeing if he was still snoozing. ' _Yess!'_

The smells of cinnamon and bacon filled the hotel room. Lucy took the last pancake off the pan and placed it on the big stack of it's-soon to be devoured-friends.

She set the table and walked into the other room. The sun was just beginning to rise finally! It cast a pinky orange glow through a crack in the curtains.

She tip toed over to Loke and sat at the edge of the bed, poking his cheek.

"Wake up sleepy head!"

Loke hadn't realized how deeply he had fallen asleep, or that he'd fallen asleep at all.

This glorious smell and voice crept into his dreams. _'Mm... smells like bacon...'_ He thought.

' _Wait that was bacon. And that beautiful voice... Lucy?!'_

He opened his eyes and saw her poking his cheek. What a great sight to wake up too.

"Morning Beautiful.." He said, sleepily. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes slightly.

"Damn, I fell asleep... I was going to surprise you, but It seems you beat me too it." He smiled warmly at her.

"Good morning Loke." Her voice was cheerful. She pushed a strand of hair out of his face.

"You hungry? I made you breakfast!" A confident smile spread across her face as she stood up, grabbing his hand. "Let's eat before it gets cold!"

He broke into the biggest grin he'd done in a while, what a kind gesture.

He followed her lead, "Okay, gladly. I'm starving." He grinned.

"It smells great!" It really did. He was impressed. He sat down with her.

"Lucy... Thank you for this."

Lucy grabbed a plate a filled it with pancakes and bacon. A man's breakfast! Well...a lions!

"Ahh it's no biggy...you deserve it." She placed the plate in front of him and shuffled behind him.

"That's not your only surprise!" She placed a kiss on his neck and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Just relax and enjoy your breakfast..it probably isn't as good as yours..BUT I TRIED!"

Lucy began rubbing his shoulders, running her thumbs up the back of his neck.

"Did I die yesterday? I think I just went to Heaven..."

 _This. Was. Bliss._

"You really didn't need to do this for me." He looked up at her with a big smile, then glanced back down at the glorious pancake stack

"Actually I did have to do this. After everything you've done for me, it's the least I can do." She pressed her thumbs against his shoulder blade, but not to hard, and rolled them in a circular motion.

He took a bite, "Nope, not as good as mine." He smirked.

"Its better. Cinnamon and Bacon. You are a genius." He chuckled.

"Better huh? Hmm well it's just an old family recipe. My mom use to make these for me when my father was...well you know...being my father."

Despite the way her father treat her in the past, she did miss him. She wished she could have bonded with him better before his passing. Despite this, Lucy smiled. At least that letter gave her some closure.

She continued to rub his shoulders and inched her way up to his head. She began to scratch the sides of his ears.

Loke was at ease, the ear scratch caused his foot to twitch slightly. _Oh god._ She got his weak spot right behind the ears. He was a lion spirit after all.

She leaned over just as he reacted to her ear scratching. "Haha you're so adorable Loke!"

"Mm.. I'm not adorable..." He mumbled slightly. He was close to purring, and had to hold it back with all his might just to finish his pancakes. They were _delicious._

After a while, they had both eaten and were conversing over a nice morning coffee. A well needed morning coffee!

"I was thinking about this mission, and those lacroma."

He put his mug down, finally back to business.

"I was thinking 'why Blue Pegasus?' then it hit me. Those lacroma can produce enough magical energy and also enough explosive energy to be used as a weapon. What weapon do Blue Pegasuses have?"

He rested his head on his palm.

"Christina the magical bomber..." He pouted. He'd been thinking a lot about this. "We should pay Bob a visit..." he said, regretfully.

Lucy, choked on her coffee. "C-Christina the..magical bomer..." she shot up from her seat.

"Give me 5 minutes and we can head out." She was still in her pajamas. Lucy rushed out to the bathroom, grabbing her bag on the way.

Not even 3 minutes later she walked out of the bathroom wearing a pair of khaki shorts, an army green v-neck, and her hiking boots. She let her hair stay down, there wasn't enough time to worry about that. It took far too long to get a perfect ponytail!

Although she did look absolutely stunning like always. She had her bag slung over her shoulder and her hands on her hips. There was something that had changed about Lucy. Perhaps in a good way...There was something the pair had missed...

"You ready?" She waved her hand in front of Loke's face with a pout.

"Common Loke! Snap out of it! We have work to do!"

Loke had finished his coffee and cleared up. He was waiting for Lucy, leaning against the counter. He'd adjusted his suit to look sharp. His hair was shaped up into spiky lion ears. He had his hands in his pockets, looking cool and handsome as ever.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be to walk back into this guild.." He chuckled, not really looking forward to the possibility of seeing a few of his Ex's in the process. The fan club was still out there, he knew it.

"Let's go, Lucy." He headed towards the door.

Lucy followed Loke out. It was still early. People were just now putting out their fresh produce. She bought a few green apples for later and shoved them in her bag.

"I hope Bob isn't being controlled too..." she gripped the strap of her bag. Lucy couldn't imagine him doing evil things.

Loke walked alongside her with hands in his pockets.

"It'd take a lot to bring Bob down to the level of these criminals. But who knows what we're up against."

He went a bit pale, remembering the women in the guild. The members of Blue Pegasus were all attractive and all knew Loke of Fairy Tail, and Leo in his spirit form, he decided to put his shades on and keep his head down and try and look cool instead. He had a slight pout on his face, he wasn't looking forward to this.

The pair had walked for quite a while, and finally made it to their destination.

Lucy looked up at the building.

"Blue Pegasus..."

She turned to Loke who seemed uneasy.

"You okay Loke?" She crossed her arms, tapping her foot, giving him an intense look.

"Don't even THINK about flirting with those girls!" She growled, fits balled up. Lucy didn't want to admit it, but she was the jealous type. She huffed in irritation.

"Anyway, let's just get this over with." She pushed open the guild doors cursing underneath her breath _'stupid prissy no-boobed bimbos...'_

Loke smiled slightly, letting out a slight chuckle under his breath at her comment,

"You got it, Beautiful.". He'll try his best to behave, but in honesty, his playboy reputation wasn't the problem. He wouldn't flirt with them as he'd finally won Lucy over. The problem was them going for him!

He had a fan club here, he'd dated at least 3 of these girls, and had a rather interesting history with a few of the others. He wasn't going tell Lucy that though!

He just hoped she didn't remember some of the girls from hovering around him at Fairy Tail back when they first met. _Awkward._

The other problem was the men of fairy tail. Karen had introduced Leo to them and they sort of exchanged tips on women... Does their charm seem familiar to you? Loke can't even look at Hibiki without the urge to facepalm.

Loke walked in behind Lucy, keeping his head down, trying not to be noticed.

This guild was well decorated, just how Bob liked it. Very, ornate? I suppose that's one way of putting it.

The lion attempted to pretend like he hadn't spotted Jenny at the bar, and also the group of girls in a booth close to the door.

The other end of the hall stood a large, bald guy with his back turned away, cleaning a mug behind the bar itself- _Wait._

"Bob..?" He muttered to Lucy's, nodding that way.

Lucy looked over and saw Bob behind the bar.

"Is he...okay?" She whispered to Loke.

Bob turned towards them, he looked at us as if he had seen a ghost.

"Leo...Miss Lucy?" He skimmed over the guild and motioned them to quickly walk his way. They scurried over swiftly. Lucy noticed a few girls had gotten riled up about Loke's presence and had started the usual swooning. As much as she wanted to smack each and every one of them, she held herself back and turned her attention back towards bob.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was hushed and tiresome. He looked awful...almost like an alcoholic.

"Bob we need to talk to you..." Lucy replied.

Loke walked behind Lucy, actively avoiding a dive from a crying ex girlfriend, who was begging for him to take her back. He managed to safely avoid the minefield and joined them both at the bar.

"Jeeze Bob, you look awful..." He had a quiet voice.

There was now a slight bundle of new fan girls looking at Leo.

"Isn't he..." One muttered,

"from fairy tail?" Another said.

"No, it's Leo..."

"Karen's?" They conversed from the corner.

"No, Eric won't know he was arrested, he won't-"

They looked back over sheepishly, to see Loke glaring slightly from behind his shades, urging them to stop. He was busy.

"Yep, that's him...Fairy Tail's, Loke. I'd recognise those shades anywhere. Hibiki was right. " A tall blonde joined the group, Jenny.

Loke turned back to Lucy and Bob, trying to ignore the potential of a toxic aura of annoyance from Lucy.

Lucy eyes twitched as the girls mumbled among themselves. She covered her mouth with her fist, softly growling, and sighed deeply.

Bob set the glass down and rubbed his head.

"You could tell huh? Things haven't been...the greatest around here. Can we talk privately? Just..you and I Leo."

Lucy wasn't even paying attention. She had grabbed onto Loke's arm when Jenny walked up. All women were her enemy now. She didn't care if Jenny was ga-ga over Hibiki. Jenny was too close for comfort. Including her boobs!

She finally noticed Bobs pained expression and frowned slightly.

Bob walked around the bar, nodding Loke to follow him. Lucy gave him a half smile.

"Go ahead. I'll be okay.."

Loke Looked at Lucy, and man she did not look happy! He decided rather than hang around, he'd follow Bob.

"Just call if you need me, Lucy." He gave her a smile as he turned away and went into the back room with Bob. "So, what's up, Bob?"

Some of the girls edged closer to Lucy, almost closing her off from her exit. It was like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey.

"I wonder who she is?"

"Seems pretty close to Loke."

"Is that his new girlfriend? Look at those clothes..."

They sniggered amongst themselves. _Those bitches._

Jenny waved her hand at them,

"Leave her alone. She's busy." She smirked as she looked over, hiding it behind her glass.

Bob shut the door and grabbed Loke by his shoulders giving him a terrified look.

"You have to gather all your friends at Fairy Tail and in the Celestial world Loke. I got a call from Ashton's father. It's worse than what he told you..." he stumbled backwards and shook his head straightening himself back up.

Loke leant back as back slightly, edging away from Bob's close and sudden outburst. The lion listened closely to what Bob had to say.

"Not only is Oaktown in danger of Nirvana...but so is the rest of Earth...and the Celestial world. I'm not sure who...but a spirit is helping Ashton...There are very few of us that haven't been affected by Ashton's control...not yet anyway.."

"... That's bad. I already asked Virgo to send a message off to the guild whilst Lucy slept, they know the rough deal, I am sure the word Nirvana is enough to send that lot running here..." He sighed,

"Any idea of the spirit in question?" He rubbed the back of his head, not really being sure who it maybe.

Bob took a deep breath and exhaled. "I don't know exactly who it is, but I do know it's a female..."

' _Female? What kind of spirit would do such terrible things to humans?'_ The lion was wracking his brain.

"Oh, also..." He rummaged around in his pocket and Pulled out the tiny shard that Virgo pulled from his back, "do you know what these are? We found a blue and a black one and they exploded on me..." He frowned as he looked back at Bob for some kind of answer.

Bob instantly smacked the lacroma out of Loke's hand.

"Don't touch those! If they're stuck to you for too long bad things will happen. I'm not exactly sure what is is...I just know Ashton is using them to bring back Nirvana..." he strolled over to a wooden chair and sat down slumping over with a frown.

"That boy may have been overtaken by Zeref...but all I know is we need to stop him before people get hurt."

Loke looked at Bob as he threw it out his hand,

" I had one of those stuck in my back!"

He turned to the door, "Well, Fairy Tail should be on their way hopefully... I am sure Ashton's father would have updated the mission with Makarov and Mira too, right?"

Bob nodded. "Yes, I believe so. Now go make me proud boy!"

Lucy whipped around and was about to charge at the girls when Jenny spoke up. Maybe she wasn't a threat after all. She smiled at the blonde.

"Thanks..I almost went full Erza huh?"

Jenny on the other hand smirked at Lucy.

"Seriously though, camo pants? Where are you going?" She sniggered.

"Didn't think Mr smooth talker was into celestial wizards. What did you do to him?"

Lucy hissed at Jenny.

"Hey! I had five freaking minutes to get ready!"

How dare she mock her outfit. At least she could pull it off! Wait..

"Huh? I didn't really do anything to him.."

She placed her index finger on her bottom lip.

"This is all new to me...So I really can't answer that question." She laughed awkwardly.

A dark feeling crept up behind her. The girls that were staring at Loke, hovered over her with wicked glares.

"Kyyya! What the hell?!"

"YOU STOLE OUR PRECIOUS LOKE!" They all said in unison. Instead of feeling threatened, Lucy stood on her tippy toes, her fist balled up on her sides and gave them the most intense glare she's ever given anyone. It was almost as if she was a lion herself.

"YOUR LOKE?! I DON'T THINK SO YOU STUPID BIMBOS! I SWEAR ON EVERYTHING THAT IF YOU LAY ONE FINGER ON HIM I'LL BREAK YOU IN HALF!"

The girls immediately backed away, hands raised in defense. "W-where sorry miss..heh..heh..." the scattered back to their seats.

Lucy smirked and turned back towards Jenny. Loke was standing right next to her.

"Oh heh...hi..Loke. You didn't...uhm...see that did you?" Lucy asked, awkwardly.

Having vacated the room he was in with Bob, Loke had snuck in and quietly stood casually with his hands in his pockets next to her.

"Did I see what?" He smirked, he saw everything. To be fair he heard it first. "Heh."

Bob had also returned to the bar, and sat down. He was exhausted.

Loke put his arm around her, "Come on, Beautiful, we need to get back to work." He pushed his shades up, making it clear Lucy was his girl. He winked down at her with a smirk.

Lucy face palmed herself then felt an arm slide around her.

"Loke.." She could see the jealous looks on the girls faces, but knew they wouldn't do anything because of her outburst. She sniggered when Loke called her Beautiful. The girls almost went crazy, biting their knuckles. You could almost feel the heat of their jealousy.

"Heh.." Lucy sniggered to herself under her breath.

Jenny looked over and sighed, "Wait! ...While you're out there, can you look for my beloved Hibiki?"

Lucy turned to Jenny who had a worried look on her face.

"Of course we will." She gave her a genuine smile and pulled Loke closer to her side. She whipped her neck around and growled at the few girls who dared to test her.

"Don't forget what I said... He's MINE!" Her voice was even scarier than before.

The girls retreated and sat back with their friends. Lucy gripped her lions arm tighter and practically dragged him out the door. "Let's go before I get arrested..."

"Ha, good plan." Loke quickly agreed.

The lion was dragged outside, hearing a few of the remaining males mutter to themselves about their old friend,

"Whipped?"

"Definitely"

"He's a lion spirit right?"

"Hey! She has a whip. I knew he was into it..."

Loke managed to shut the door quickly behind him hoping Lucy hadn't heard any of that. He laughed awkwardly in a panicked state. That could've been embarrassing...He looked at Lucy, who had a irritated look on her face.

As Lucy was holding onto him tightly, she must of missed the small sniggering cat watching all of this unfold. He was by himself, floating around at the door.

"She's in luuuuuurveee!" He cooed.

Lucy heard the irritating exceeds comment and proceeded to Lucy kick him straight in the air.

"WHAAAAAAAT DIIIID I DOOOOOO!?" Happy did a few flips in the air and shook his head.

"That wasn't very nice Lucy!" He whined, rubbing his head.

The little pest flew back down and plopped down on Loke's head.

"Happy what are you doing here alone?" Lucy looked around suspiciously, prepared for a certain pink haired boy to jump out any second.

Loke glanced up at the blue cat, with a smirk.

"We all split up to look for clues! Master got word from Virgo last night that something big was going down, then we got your mission up date, we are all here to help!" Happy replied.

"Everyone? Already?" Lucy was surprised how quickly word got to Makarov.

"-Then I found You two. Did you spent the last few nights together?" Happy teased, knowing it would annoy Lucy.

' _Good to hear Virgo got to you so fast.'_ Loke's plan worked, the more help the better with something on this scale.

Lucy went to smack Happy when she heard someone calling her name.

"LUUUUUCCCYYY!" she turned around to see Natsu, Gray, and Erza running towards her.

The lions train of thought was soon interrupted by the group, running towards them. Loke nodded nonchalantly to them. "Hey."

Erza knocked the boys out of the way and charged forward.

"So Lucy!" She gave her a dirty smirk and pulled something out of a duffle bag.

"Levy, Mira, and I went shopping when we found out you and Loke were getting married."

She held up a pink lacy see through thong,

"Loke, don't you think these would look fantastic on Lucy?!"

"M-MARRIED?! WE'RE NOT GETTING MARRIED!" Lucy snatched the panties and duffle bag.

She peeked inside and seen nothing but different colored lacy underwear and matching bras. There was a box.

"Huh? What's thi-" she choked and dropped the box. ' _Trojan Magnums'_

"KYAAAA WE DON'T NEED CONDOMS! I'M NOT EVEN DOING THAT YE-"

Erza interrupted with a serious face.

"Lucy! We don't need you getting pregnant yet. Your wedding isn't going to be for another few months!"

Loke bit his lip slightly trying not to snigger for fear he'd be kicked in the face again. He slipped his hands in his pockets, smirking as they conversed and revealed a whole load of amazing looking underwear and Trojan magnums- wait what!? Ha! How kind of them to play to his ego. He cracked a laugh at this, it couldn't be helped.

Natsu and Gray finally stumbled over rubbing their heads.

"You know she's right Lucy. We don't need little Lucy's and Loke's running around until after marriage..." Gray said, fully nude once again.

Lucy smacked her forehead, blushing uncontrollably.

"Guys we're not getting marr-"

Natsu grabbed Loke by his tie. "YOU BETTER NOT HURT HER YOU STUPID CAT! I'LL BURN ALL OF YOUR SUITS!"

He kept sniggering until Natsu grabbed his tie and dragged him over. He blinked and looked at him, removing his hands from his pockets,

"You don't need to worry about that buddy, I'd never hurt Lucy. I promise." He smiled, and fixed his tie.

"Can't have my future wife in any danger, that's why I asked Virgo to speak to the master." He started laughing, knowing Lucy was more than likely about to hit him again.

"F-Future wife?!" Lucy felt like she was going to explode from embarrassment. She reached her leg up to Lucy kick Loke.

Someone stopped her by grabbing her shoulders.

"You shouldn't do that Lucy. One day he's gonna get tired of it and leave.."

Lucy slammed her foot back onto the ground. It was Gajeel. Levy was standing next to him and smacked his chest.

"Don't be rude Gajeel!" She gave Lucy a perky smile.

"Don't listen to him Luce, he's just in a grumpy mood because I embarrassed him earlier."

"D-Don't bring that back up shrimp!" He looked away with his arms folded and huffed.

Lucy frowned. She was so embarrassed and Gajeel made it worse.

"Whatever...it's not like it even matters." She walked out of the crowd and shoved her hands in her pockets, her eyebrows scrunched up.

"We have work to do. So stop worrying about my damn love life. Tsssh"

Loke continued to grin, he didn't really care, he was winding her up out of love, he knew it embarrassed her. Loke exchanged a glance to Gajeel, the last full time they'd really spoken was when he'd kidnapped Lucy, and they fought on the rooftop. It was weird seeing him here like this, Levy had done him a lot of good, and so had fairy tail.

He tilted his head, watching Lucy get all annoyed. He knew the others wouldn't let up about it, they'd been away for a few nights alone together.

The mission paperwork that was sent to Makarov stated they vanished for a night after a fight. It also stated that they showed up the next day with Lucy in Loke's arms. Having both returned safely, they got a reward increase. This naturally went over to Mira... The rest is history.

Loke followed Lucy. He couldn't get that stupid smirk off his face.

Gray caught up beside him and gave him a nudge, "Heard you two had a run in with some dangerous mages and went missing for a day?"

Loke narrowed his eyes, "You heard about that?" He obviously had no idea who the Mage in question was in relation to him.

"Things got pretty Rough but we handled it..."

Juvia finally caught up to the group. She was giving Lucy that look. Apparently Lucy knew where she was going, and everyone was now following her.

Happy was now walking with Natsu and Erza, and Gray had dropped back allowing Loke to catch up to Lucy's side,

"Psst, Lucy, do you know where you're going?" He kept his voice low as he asked her.

Lucy stopped and looked around then looked back towards Loke. "Actually, no I don't...hmm." She placed her hands on her hips.

"We should head back to the guild and figure out a plan. Then in the morning we can pack up and head out. Sound good?"

Erza walked over to Lucy and turned towards everyone. "I believe Lucy is right. We need to come up with a plan. "

She glanced at Lucy. "Good thinking lu-...Lucy? Are you feeling okay? You're as white as a ghost."

Lucy blinked. "Yeah I'm fine. Probably just didn't get enough sleep..but I'll be okay."

Juvia, hovered over Lucy with that evil stare.

"LOVE RIVAL BETTER STAY AWAY FROM GRAY-SAMA. JUVIA SEES YOU LOOKING AT HIM!"

Lucy spun around, and smacked Juvia to the ground. "I don't want Gray. And he probably doesn't want you either. So quit trying!"

Everyone was in shock. Gray rushed over to the now sobbing Juvia.

"What the hell Lucy?! That was uncalled for!" Gray shouted.

Lucy hadn't realized what she had done or said. She quickly bent down to Juvia and hugged her.

"I'm so sorry Juvia! I don't know what came over me. Please don't be mad at me...I just.-"

Natsu interrupted. "She's probably on her monthly thing.. " Him and happy sniggered in the back ground.

Lucy ignored the idiots and helped Juvia back up.

The rain woman didn't say anything, she just walked away with Gray who had his arm draped over her shoulder.

"Monthly or not...that was seriously uncalled for Lucy. Maybe you should think before acting. That was childish.." Gray responded.

"I said I was-...sorry..." She peaked over at Loke who had a shocked look on his face.

She held her head down and walked away. "What the hell is happening to me?" She thought as the rest of the group followed behind her, whispering things among themselves.

"Perhaps she just got tired of Juvia doing that?" Levy frowned.

"Still, that was mean.." Natsu furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

"Aye...very mean..." Happy sighed.

Loke stopped beside her.

"Woah"

He saw her take down Juvia in one hit out of nowhere, and stood there wide eyed. Was she mad? He blinked at the sight.

"Lucy, Let's catch a train back. " He took her hand and pulled her away gently, leading her off.

"We will meet you guys at the guild in the morning..." He glanced back to the group slightly as he spoke.

Gray rudely yelled to Loke. "MAYBE SHE NEEDS TO GET LAID!"

Lucy wanted to go back and punch the ice boy until he was dead-wait..why was she thinking like this? Jeez Lucy...get a grip!

Loke shot a glance back to Gray from over his shades, "Gray, Don't start." He walked her away to try and cool her off. What's with her? Was she not happy he'd arranged for everyone to help?

As they got out the way of the others and were walking towards the station, Loke looked at Lucy, she still looked annoyed. "Are you okay, beautiful?" He still has her hand in his.

Lucy jerked her hand away from Loke. "I'm fine." Her tone was harsh and not her usual harsh tone. She didn't say much on the walk back to the train station.

She plopped down into the seat and gazed out the window. Lucy didn't understand why she was in such a fowl mood. Juvia's comments never really bothered her before...and it couldn't be that time of the month, she has two more weeks until it comes back.

The train took off, and Lucy took a deep breath. Could it be Lucy was already going through a midlife crisis?! She wasn't even 30!

She noticed Loke, who didn't have a smile on his face like he normally does.

"I'm sorry Loke...I don't know what's wrong with me..."

Loke sat down beside her and gave her a tea that he purchased from the train's buffet cart. She could use it,

"Here, drink this." He looked at her, tilting his head.

"Thanks..." The blonde said quietly. Lucy sipped the tea. Oh how it tasted so wonderful. It reminded her of when her and her mother use to have tea time.

"May I try something to help?" He had a soft tone of voice, he was concerned.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Hmm? I suppose..."She didn't seem too excited. Her voice was shaky. What was he going to do? Lucy placed her tea on one of the slide out tables and bowed her head, looking down at her lap. She twiddled her thumbs in anticipation.

Loke motioned for her to turn and face the window with a gentle smile.

"Turn that way, and don't look so worried."

As she turned, he moved closer and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Just relax... This is a method of calming lionesses in the spirit world"

He chuckled, kissing the side of her neck tenderly, before gently placing his thumbs on her earlobes. He gently massaged them, tantalising her senses bit by bit. This little method, combined with Loke's warm breath to her skin was sure to calm her...or otherwise...

Her body rested on his chest as he did this to her. He really just wanted to calm her down, luckily the other guild members were on the other end of the train itself, Loke made sure of that. Didn't want to provoke her anymore.

Lucy clutched her shirt and her body stiffened as his lips touched her neck. Her heart rate rising every second. Lucy chewed on her bottom lip. If he only knew that this didn't calm her down. She could feel a tingling sensation growing inside her. She couldn't control it. Lucy span around, grabbed him by his tie and pulled him down on top of her. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a deep kiss.

The hair on her skin stood straight up and her stomach was filled with butterflies. Lucy knew this wasn't the right time, but maybe Gray was right...and boy was she aroused...

"You know how much of a tease you are? And I can't do anything about it...not yet.."

Lucy wanted him so badly. Even if it was just for a moment. Just a touch. She would be satisfied for awhile…

Loke gave her a cheeky smirk.

"Guess it affects spirits differently than humans..." He knew exactly what he did, the sly cat.

He did manage to make her mood change though, so that was a plus.

He looked down at her, his lips grazing hers. Loke's heart pounded in his chest, hearing her words.

"A tease huh?" Oh she knew how to get him. The tie pull was the first straw, Loke had a thing about this, he loved it.

"Really now? You can't do anything?" He said, moving his lips down to her neck again, slowly trailing them up to her jawline. Now he was purposely teasing her on the quiet train carriage.

His arm slipped down her back, arching her up into his reach. He smirked at her reaction, his cheeks had a slight rosy tint to them.

Lucy's bottom lip quivered, letting out a muffled whimper. "L-Loke.." Was this really about to happen? She was definitely ready! She knew she didn't want to be with anyone besides Loke.

Loke lowered his head, his hair brushing her skin as he moved down to kiss her collarbone.

As his hair brushed her skin, she squirmed underneath him. The feeling of his warm lips trailing down her body caused goosebumps to rise. She leaned up and pressed the side of her mouth against his ear, softly moaning his name and whispering other teasing comments. "D-Don't stop...p-please...I-.."

"LUUUUUUCYYYYYYY~" The Salamander could be heard from a few carriages away, getting closer and closer.

Lucy heard her name being called. It was Natsu! What the hell!? _Talk about cock block._

She quickly sat up straight, adjusting her outfit, her legs shaking like crazy.

"Hnnngg.." she held her legs down just as Natsu slid open the door, staggering in and falling on to the seats opposite from them.

"Hey Luc-" He examined her and Loke's expressions the best he could, raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Did I interrupt something?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Loke.

"N-NOPE! We were just...uhhh.." She grabbed her tea cup, panicking,

"Drinking tea and talking about the mission!" She laughed awkwardly and took a sip of tea, trying not to seem suspicious.

Loke bolted up right, trying to look casual but failed horribly.

He gulped down and tried to clear the flushed look from his face. He looked at Natsu from behind his shades. Thank god for the shades. He rested one leg over his other and tried his best to clear his head. His nice neat tie was a mess as Lucy had pulled on it. His shirt was slightly untucked and it was clear something had happened. His hand went to the back of his head as he laughed, awkwardly. The salamander saw right through it. He just knew it.

"Oh hey Natsu, hahaha..." He trailed off quietly.

"Lucy...you know I can..uhm" He lowered his voice "Smell you..." Lucy choked at his comment. slamming her cup back down. If Natsu hadn't looked so pitiful from his motion sickness she probably would have kicked his ass.

NATSU CAN SMELL WHAT EXACTLY? Raging lustful hormones? What a weirdo. Loke tried not to react too much, but he was pretty freaked out by what he had just said. His mind was still slowly crawling out of the gutter.

"What do you want flame head?" Lucy grit her teeth. The moment, the perfect freaking moment was ruined, but things happen for a reason. Right?

"I wanted to get my mind off this stupid train, so Erza said she could knock me out...or I could be useful and see what you've found so far about the mission?" He replied stuffing his hand back to his mouth to stop himself puking again.

Loke sipped on his tea, it was starting to go cold from all their time frolicking. He gulped it down pretending it was fine, keeping a straight face. Thank god this train journey didn't have much longer to go. Loke was biting the inside of his lip as he looked down into his tea, listening to Natsu and Lucy converse.

Lucy squeezed her legs together, trying to ignore the tingling sensation. She leaned forward and began to speak in a serious manner. The lion glanced at Lucy and the way her legs twitched, he knew the feeling...

"Okay so basically we know this guy Ashton is trying to bring back Nirvana. There's two different types of Lacroma crystals in the ground of Oak Town. The two combined are deadly, well...as in they'll explode, and some how Ashton is going to use these to bring back Nirvana."

She paused and glanced over at Loke.

"What exactly did Bob tell you?"

Natsu held his stomach, his face was ghost white. He tried his best to listen closely to the two

"Love birds." Natsu muttered through a groan.

Loke placed his head on his palm, leaning in.

"Oh right, Bob…" He almost forgotten some very important information!

"He told me not to keep a hold of the lacroma, exposure to them can lead to bad effects - Oh... And most importantly..."

He looked serious now. "I should of told you this earlier." He took off his shades.

"Not only is Oaktown in danger of Nirvana...but so is the rest of Earth...and the Celestial world. Ashton is being helped by a female spirit according to Bob - He wasn't sure on who it was."

He looked to Lucy, " He advised we get all of Fairy Tail to help, and as many spirits as I can pull together... "

He sighed. "I can't think who that spirit would be, yet" He looked at the table, clenching his fists,

"But I won't let them bring harm to this world or the celestial one, so long as I stand in it." He was annoyed at the thought of one of his own helping cause such pain and suffering. He gritted his teeth slightly.

Lucy stared at Loke in horror. "The rest of Earth & the Celestial world?!" She knew it was bad...but not THIS BAD.

Loke looked back to Lucy and nodded. "Whatever happens, I will be there for you."

Natsu shrugged. "We'll just kick their ass like the last time we destroyed Nirvana...but if we don't…" He stood up, placing his hand against the wall to balance himself,

"Then you two should probably.." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Do the dirty…"

Loke glanced at Natsu as he spoke, smiling slightly at his comment. "Is he always like this? I forget sometimes." He joked.

Natsu staggered out of the cart, his face completely flushed. "Oh boy this sucks!" He yelled as he stumbled down the hall.

Lucy twiddles her thumbs again. She was quiet. The tingling sensation was nothing but a memory now...she wished it could have been more than that. She sighed, her legs still tightly squeezed together. "Sooo...That was pretty awkward huh?"

The lion put his arm around Lucy, "Don't worry about it"

It was pretty awkward, but Loke continued to smile as he looked down at her hand. He raised it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her fairy tail stamp. "At least he didn't chew me out. Heh."

The train was almost back at Magnolia by this time.

"Calling at Magnolia station!" The driver spoke over the carriages as it pulled in.

"Let's go, beautiful." He took her bag and hand and lead her off the train. He noticed the group of other guild members smirking at them. This should be interesting back at the guild the next morning.

They walked back through town together. The group disbanded leaving Loke and Lucy alone again. Peace at last! It was dusk, there was a beautiful sun setting over Magnolia, casting a bright orange and purple hue over the town.

Lucy looked over at the beautiful sunset. Her arms were locked with his as they walked through the streets of Magnolia. As they reached her building she stopped and glanced up at him.

The colors of the sunset made his ginger hair glow. She pulled his shades off and smiled. His golden, brown eyes were so gentle.

"I'm sorry for being so mean. Gajeel was right wasn't he? If I keep kicking, hitting, or doing anything to hurt you...I'm gonna lose you." She frowned.

" I don't wanna be like Karen..."

Loke stood there, staring at Lucy in disbelief at what he was hearing.

The breeze caught onto his hair and tie, causing it to flicker in the wind. L _ike Karen? No... That's not possible. Not in the slightest chance._

His lips parted to speak but no words came out. Words couldn't really describe Lucy, not really.

The lion raised his hands and placed them on Lucy's cheeks. He ran them up and through her hair, tilting her head up to face his.

"I made you a promise..." He rested his forehead on hers, and looked down into her eyes lovingly. Their lips were almost touching.

"...To be with you until the very end... To protect you with all I have. I'm not going to leave you, Lucy. I owe you my life."

He ran his fingers on one hand further through her hair, His other hand trailed down her back, Arching her down into his arms. The lions eyes smiled down at her,

"You can hit and kick me all you need too, you'll never get rid of me." He said in his suave way.

His lips brushed hers tenderly, as he held her in his embrace. He kissed his owner, outside her home, in the middle of the street.

Loke's lips broke away for a moment, his voice sincere and gentle, "Because I Love you, Lucy Heartfilia. "

Lucy melted into the kiss, wrapping her hands around his neck, twirling her fingering through his silky golden locks. She pushed up, now standing on her tippy toes, deepening their kiss. Lucy slipped her tongue inside of his mouth. Their tongues intertwined with each other.

Lucy began to tingle once again after tasting how sweet he was. Gah! He was delicious. She wanted more.

She pulled away, their lips grazing each other. Both panting heavily from the intoxicating kiss. Her heart was pounding and her body was covered in goosebumps. Lucy stared into his golden eyes, giving him that same lustful look she'd given him the last few times they almost went all the way. Nobody or nothing could ruin this moment.

"I love you too Loke. You've made me oh so...happy."

Loke couldn't help but smile at her return comment. He ignored the few locals in a boat who had seen that whole display and were wolf whistling.

Lucy grabbed the front of his suit, and pulled him towards the entrance. Without hesitation she swung the door open and dragged him up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind them. The blonde turned towards her spirit and grabbed him by the tie. She pulled him back against her. She slowly ran her hands down his arms before removing his jacket. Lucy wanted nothing more than to feel every inch of his body.

"Well, let me make it up to you…" She tilted her head up towards him nervously,

"If that's okay..?" She stuttered. Her cheeks fully flushed.

 **[[ Writers Note: The next two chapters are um...Well you can see where it's going...]]**


	9. Chapter 9: The Night

**Chapter Nine - The Night.**

Magnolia was warm, the sort of warmth you get on a crisp summer evening. The sun was setting over the streets, and gradually fading into night. The sky blended from a peachy pink, to a coppery orange. The further up you looked, the darker its grapey paint grew. Warm to cool, the closer to the stars it got. There were boats traveling down the canal on Lucy Heartfilia's street, all gossiping about a sight they had just witnessed between Lucy and her Lion.

On that street, the door to a quaint little apartment by said canal just slammed shut.

Lucy dragged her lion inside by his shirt, causing him to jolt through the door like a dog on a leash. He had the biggest smirk plastered across his lips. He felt his heart pounding, racing against his chest. His cheeks burned from their exhilarating kiss outside. Lucy made him crazy. His thoughts were hazed and his mind dived right down into the depths of the gutter.

Loke was a little taken back, it was usually him coming onto her, this made a change. ' _Guess I said all the right things?_ _Heh...'_

She removed his jacket and tossed it down to the ground. He saw the fiery determination of a lioness on her eyes.

"You want to make it up to me?" He asked, tilting his head curiously.

"How?" He glanced down at her hands on his tie. God he loved being pulled by his tie. Lucy's hands were shaking.

The lions eyes raised back to hers, meeting them head on. He smirked back at her slightly.

"D-Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!" She responded quickly, with a stutter.

Lucy couldn't stop staring into his eyes. They always hypnotized her. They were bright eyes, hazel with golden flecks, with a darker brown outline. Without breaking eye contact, Lucy kicked her boots off, and untucked his shirt.

"I-I know you want me just as bad as I want you..." She muttered. The trembling blonde partially slid her hand up the front of his shirt, hooking her hand on the waistline of his pants, unhooking his white and gold belt.

He smirked further at her comment . Well she was his master, she practically read his mind.

"Heh, saw right through me huh?" He replied, with his silky voice. All her teasing made her irresistible.

Lucy felt the tingling sensation being to grow. She whimpered, wiggling her legs.

"I..I don't think I can wait any longer..." She proceeded to grab his tie yet again, smiling slightly at his reaction, and pulled him along towards her bed.

Her legs hit the base causing him to fall on top of her. She couldn't help but notice a wider grin spread across his face.

Loke looked down at the flustered look on her face, and the way her legs trembled. It made him think. ' _Hmm….'_

"Lucy..." He lowered his lips to hers, then trailed them to just under her ear, kissing her skin. It was so soft.

"Have you…Ever done this before?" He asked quietly, he was concerned and curious. He wanted to make sure she was making the right choice.

His other hand, swooped under her, slowly making its way up her back. He bit his lip slightly, waiting for an answer. Her skin was hot. His tie hung loosely, and untidily down onto her, his shirt and trousers undone. He looked back down into her big eyes.

Lucy gulped. Her face was burning...Actually her whole body was. She shook her head.

"N-No. This would be my first time...Nobody has ever touched me."

The way he bit his lip made her heart pound harder. He just loved to torture her didn't he? She wiggled her legs again. Everything was so intense right now that she could feel the wetness almost seeping through her jeans.

"But I know I won't regret my first time being with you." She grinned and leaned up, and carefully planted a kiss on his lips yet again. Oh how she loved those soft lips of his. Lucy managed to unbutton herself, her jeans now completely off.

"Please Loke..." she muttered.

He gulped slightly at her response and nodded gently. He took her hand and kissed it, his eyes glancing at her again, with a sparkle in them.

"In that case, Lucy..."

His gaze lowered down her neck, where he proceeded to bite her shirt, and undid it with his teeth, the hand on her back had already unhooked her bra rather slyly. What a naughty lion.

"Allow me to take this dance..." He said with a smile as he threw her bra behind him.

He took a moment to admire her as she lay there in front of him in just her panties.

"You really are Beautiful..." He said in adoration. The suave cat ran his hands down and across her curves, trailing them across her waist line as he sat above her.

He was teasing her on purpose, his smirk widened as she trembled in anticipation.

His shirt had fallen off at this point, just leaving his tie loosely hanging on his chest.

Lucy shivered as his hands ran across her curves. She bit her lip, looking away and let out a soft moan. She was a bit embarrassed for this was her first time. She really didn't know what to expect. How does it feel?

Lucy turned her attention back to him, their eyes locking once again. His eyes were wild. Almost like a hungry lion, yet he was being so gentle with her. Lucy loved how gentle he was with her, treating her like a delicate flower.

With his shirt now off, she placed her hand over his chest. It was racing. She ran the tips of her fingers down his chest, tracing his perfectly defined abs. As she hooked her fingers back onto his pants, she fumbled trying to unbutton them.

Finally, after a few seconds it popped off, his pants slightly sliding down...And without breaking eye contact, she slid her hand down into his pants, past his boxers. Her toes curled as she inched her hands over his length. It was thick...and throbbing. It was unlike she imagined. Then again, she wasn't sure what she was expecting.

 _'Well I'm totally fucked...'_ she thought to herself before wrapping her small hands around his member, nervously.

She felt him flinch as he let out a slight hiss. Smirking at his reaction, which was oh so sexy, she leaned up and and kissed her lions jaw, rubbing her thumb across his tip.

He bit his lip as she caressed him, his glazed eyes explored down her body.

Loke lowered his head down to hers, nipping at her neck gently. There was a subtle grin on his face as the trousers she had just unbuttoned burst into sparkles, making it a lot easier to get stuff done.

The hand that was tracing her waist line hooked onto her panties, his glance flicked up to hers once more from her neck as he slowly removed them, sensually caressing her smooth legs on the way down.

As he successfully removed them, his hand went back up her inner thigh, tenderly caressing her skin, inch by inch...

She was naked. Was he dreaming still? ' _Lucy...'_ He twitched slightly as she toyed with him, the tables had turned and she was now the tease.

"Ngh..." He muttered under his breath.

Lucy pressed the side of her mouth against his ear, moaning out his name softly as he nipped at her neck.

"Loke..." She could feel his shaft pulsing in her hand. She continued rubbing the tip slowly in a circular motion. Her breathing stuttered when he began trailing his warm hands up her inner thigh. This drove her crazy, making her leg shake even more.

She rested her other hand on the back of his head, pulling him down into a quick kiss. Lucy loved his reactions, assuming she was doing a great job at pleasing him. She teasingly ran her hand back up his length, and wrapped her hand around the bridge once more, pumping her hand up and down slowly.

Lucy waited in anticipation for him to finally touch her. She was so frustrated, but knew she shouldn't rush the moment. (Although she rushed him to have sex with her pretty fast...She didn't realise how much she needed it. Dirty Girl.)

She couldn't help but to skim over his body. His arms were perfectly toned, and his skin was so smooth to the touch. She arched her back, pressing her breast against his broad chest, giving him the hint that she wanted more. "Hnngg...mmff.."

"Heh..." This _was_ happening. _'I didn't think she was that into me...'_

He smirked a little, guessing he was wrong. _'Did she always have a thing for me or am I just being big headed I-'_ his thoughts were interrupted by Lucy's moans, her touch and oh god everything. Why was he thinking at a time like this!?

"Nhhh..." He closed his eyes slightly as she started tightening her grip.

Loke's hand reached the top of her thighs, he opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was shaking, her lips trembling under his touch. He brushed his hands over her, finally touching her for the first time to test her reaction. His lips curved into a lustful grin. This girl was his lioness, no question about it.

As he finally caressed her womanhood, Lucy used her free hand to slightly dig her nails into his upper back, letting out a small stuttered moan. The way he touched her drove her wild, and it was only the first time he did, but something about that touch made her want more. A lot more. She felt her skin crawl at his touch, shivering slightly.

Lucy continued to pump her hand around his length. She imagined how her lion would struggle to push inside of her. Just the thought made her pout from all the teasing that she had experienced throughout the past few days.

Enough was enough. The lioness inside of her raged with urges. Urges she's never felt with anyone before. Lucy pulled her hand away from his member, grabbed his shoulders and pulled them into a better position on the bed. She glanced down at his shaft.

 _'Holy shit..'_ She thought.

Lucy brought her attention back to Loke who had a certain cheerful look painted across his face. But it wasn't cheerful like she'd seen before. She leaned up towards him, stealing a kiss.

"Mmm so a-are you going to continue to tease me? Or are you going to actually do the thing?" She asked, awkwardly.

Loke's skin was as hot as Lucy's. She wanted more. She wanted more from him. She drove him crazy but never thought this would happen.

He panted as she dug her nails Into him, and he loved it.

He let her finish talking and decided to take her breath away. He returned a passionate kiss, his hand hooked under her hips and arched her towards him.

The boxers vanished, he didn't waste anytime In preparing. _At least he was safe about it._ (The gift from Erza, Mira and Levy fit well. His ego was on fire).

In answer to her question, he ran his tip over her womanhood, teasing her by coming dangerously close to her. He was going to tease her ever so slightly (also teasing himself in the process - Gaah). He could feel how warm she was. He arched her hips closer to his, before gazing down at her lustfully.

Lucy hissed when she felt his tip rub against her. _'Bastard!'_ She thought to herself as she passionately kissed him back, she nibbled his bottom lip and dug her nails deeper into his back, then pulled them downwards.

"Hnnnggg" the tingling sensation was so overwhelming.

 _'More more more damn it!'_ Lucy rolled her hips once, allowing his shaft to press harder against her womanhood. She let out a deep moan through the kiss. She did it once more and pulled back, smirking devilishly at Loke's reaction.

"Two can play at that game." She placed a kiss against his ear and worked her way down, softly suckling on his neck, hopefully not 'marking her territory' with love marks.

"Hghh.." He let out a frustrated groan at the way her hips moved against him.

He teased himself more than her ' _Damnit', that's it_.

His hand moved down, exploring her further. He felt her heat, his chest pounded, his breath staggered. Loke had to have more of her. He exchanged a ready glance with her, a smirk appeared across his lips through the kiss, as her nails held onto his shoulders.

He held onto her hips now, moving all the way down across her wetness. Finally he made his way to the point of no return. His eyes fixed onto her as he held her. The lion didn't want to hurt her. That is the last thing he wanted to do.

Lucy absolutely adored his frustration. His moan caused her to shiver. Oh god it was sexy and low, just like a lions growl. It almost sounded primal.

She placed one hand on his shoulder, whimpering as his tip slid down her. Lucy's womanhood was throbbing and her heart nearly burst out of her chest when he pressed against her entrance.

She gazed up into his lustful golden eyes and nodded, letting him know it was okay.

"Loke..I love you.." she smiled the biggest smile ever, bracing herself.

His cheeks had a flushed shade of crimson spread across them. His lips grazed hers, he could feel the warmth of her breath. He could feel her nails dig deeper into his skin. "Ngh..."

He then responded through staggered breath, "I love you too, Lucy."

He kissed her softly, now allowing both his hands to slip down as hold her hips to his.

She returned the kiss, smiling at his reply. Her heart fluttered with happiness.

Loke moved into her slowly…

As she felt him clutch her hips, she swallowed and took a deep breath. She felt him begin to slowly ease his way inside of her.

 _'Oh god..It hurts'_ she internally screamed to herself, letting out a painful whine. Lucy gripped his arms, readying herself for the rest of his length to be inside of her.

Loke glanced down at her, hearing her slight whine.

"You okay?" He could feel her shaking.

"That pain won't last for much longer. I promise." His voice was sincere, he took her hand and kissed it gently, then placed it in his heart.

He eased in slowly, allowing her to squeeze his hand and arched his head down, and kissed her cheek with a soft smile.

Lucy smiled, a small tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm absolutely per-perfect. I trust Y-you.." She gripped his hand harder as he eased in, her legs shaking uncontrollably. The knot in her stomach turned into fireworks, as the pain began to vanish, his length already half way inside her( _Only half way?!_ ).

Loke tilted his head slightly, leaning to wipe her tears with his thumb, her smile melted his heart.

She felt pleasure begin to rise throughout her whole body now, moaning ever so softly, loosening the grip on his hand.

"Aaahhhah..L-Loke.." His lioness gazed back up, noticing his, still frustrated expression.

"I'm so glad I didn't let you vanish..." She used her other hand (that was also shaking) to grip the back of his head, pulling him down into a deep, passionate kiss, moaning through each breath.

Loke too was glad he was able to meet her, and was able to get to know her, to fall in love with her and spend those precious days with her. He could of lost it all if it wasn't for Lucy. He owed her, and he was going to show his thanks.

He was lost in her eyes as he dived deeper and deeper.

"I'll take that pain away..." He murmured quietly in her ear. His voice had a velvety, lustful tone to it. His words just rolled off his tongue.

The lion let out a ragged groan as his length was fully consumed by her warmth. He could just stay there forever, BUT he knew too well he couldn't resist her any longer. He let her adjust to him, before gazing back down at her. His eyes burning with passion and hunger. There was something carnal about the lion's gaze, but there remained a soft edge to those golden brown eyes of his.

The scarlet hue to his cheeks and the flustered breaths that escaped his lips were enough to reveal to anyone that Loke had the spirit and heart of a hungry lion.

He took her wrist back from his chest and raised it above her head, kissing down her neck, the other clasping her hip, starting the heated, rhythmic grind with her.

As he eased the rest of length inside of her, now hot, dripping wet, womanhood, Lucy let out a deep seductive moan. She wanted to run her hands over his body, but he had already pinned her hands above her head. She surrendered her body to his.

They exchanged a lustful look to each other. Her lips parted, trying to catch her breath when he trailed sweet kisses down her neck. His chest was close enough that she could feel it pounding.

Lucy arched her back, moaning deeply once again, as he slowly thrusted his pulsing member in and out of her. She was overwhelmed with the intense amount of pleasure she was receiving.

Her breaths staggered as her body tensed up. Loke let out another hiss, but this one of deeper. Lucy knew what she had done. As she tensed up her body again, she tightened herself around the lion and began to move her hips along with his. She was getting the hang of this dance.

Loke shifted his head back to hers, gazing down at her rosy lips as they parted, leaving him an opportunity. He took full advantage and expertly guided his tongue into her mouth, exploring her, passionately. He'd not kissed her like this before, this was more. The carnal side of Loke was fierce, passionate and hot.

The prince's vice like grip on Lucy's wrists held firm, but not enough to hurt her. He wanted her to feel everything he was doing to her, and not get distracted. His lips smirked as he kissed her. He rolled his hips down into her, deepening the pursuit.

Surprised by the kiss, Lucy melted as she flicked her tongue, savoring his delicious taste. "Mmm-mmfff.." was all she could muffle, trying to free her hands from his firm grasp.

"Nng..." He murmured under his breath as she tightens on him again, he hadn't expected her to try something like that. But god he craved more. His gaze was intense as he gently bit her lip then ventured up her neck, nipping at her earlobe.

She smelt so good... She was alluring. He couldn't help but put one arm under her to arch her up into his arms and used this to give himself a better angle.

He had a sly grin on his flustered face, he knew what he was doing. He dove into her deeper, gliding through her, feeling the way she reacted to him. He bit his own lip, watching her move under him to his actions, his teeth resting on his lower lip. He had two sharp canines on each row of teeth, like the lion he was. His chest heaved. His vision was blurred with pleasure, hazed by lust.

Her eyes rolled back when he thrusted into deeper, sending shivers up her spine, but that didn't stop her from also grinding her lower body harder against his. Oh how she was in heaven.

Lucy repeatedly tightened herself around him. Then, in the heat of the moment, Lucy wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing him to plunge deeper inside of her warmth, while he once again teased at her neck.

Their eyes met once more. She was panting heavily, her cheeks a light rosy shade. The heat between the two caused their skin to shimmer. She gave him a needy look before whispering seductively. "M-More..."

Loke smirked, obeying his master's command. He gritted his teeth, displaying the canines with a low passionate growl. His breath was even more staggered as he let go of her wrists, and used both his hands to grab lustfully onto her hips, using them to grind into her harder.

His burning eyes gazed over her body under his, his chest heaved. He got in rhythm with her body, their staggered breaths were almost in time, in perfect harmony. "Agh..." he groaned through his clenched teeth, fire in his eyes.

As he released her hands, Lucy slid them to the back of his head, firmly grasping his copper hair. She tightened her leg around his waist, smirking as she leaned forward, nipping his earlobe, moaning his name sweetly.

"L-oke...mmmff." She drew back, looking deeply into his hungry lion like eyes. Her brown eyes now had a golden sparkle around the pupil. She glanced down at his lips. They were parted, his bottom lip quivered. He was just so irresistible. The way he tasted was intoxicating.

After moaning his name, Lucy pulled him into a heated kiss, talking in between staggered breaths. "Let me...ride...you.."

Without hesitation, he continued to obey his lioness. He took her hips, moved out and pulled her onto his waist as he swapped places with her.

He was in ecstasy at the thought. "Heh..." He exhaled, the air was hot, their skin sizzling.

Loke looked up at her as she sat on his hips, admiring her. He got a pretty awesome view from down there. He ran his hands up her sides, caressing her slender body.

"Go ahead, Beautiful... " His glazed expression was displaying a very pleased look, he was completely intoxicated by her.

Lucy hovered herself over his member, sliding her womanhood across his tip. His reaction made her smirk. She enjoyed pleasuring her lion. Lucy rested her hands on his shoulders, slowly working herself down his length, anchoring her head back, moaning from extreme pleasure as she took control of him.

As she consumed the rest of his shaft inside of her, Lucy leaned down, and placed a teasing kiss on his neck. She could feel him twitch inside of her, and boy did that drive her crazy.

Without any hesitation, Lucy pulled her lower body up, then back down, grinding against him with a gentle loving rhythm like he had done with her.

As she rolled her hips, she released his shoulders, trailing the tips of her (still shaking) fingertips up his neck, cupping one cheek, and running the other through his damp hair.

She smiled at him and ran her thumb across his bottom lip, before leaning down once again to kiss him with burning passion, pulling his bottom lip and slipping her tongue back into his mouth, wanting to taste him again.

Ecstasy was an understatement. Pure uncontrollable bliss is what would sum up what Loke was feeling. The most beautiful woman he knew drove him into pure intoxication by her moans alone. It was safe to say Lucy seemed to be feeling the same way by the look on her face.

He took a heated breath as he moved his head from the kiss, He ran his hands up her back, sitting up slightly to be closer with her, his lips and tongue ventured hungrily up her front, trailing kisses up her chest, over her collarbones and up her neck, whilst his fingers continued up her back and going up into her hair. As his fingers were in her hair, he now sat up with Lucy on his hips, allowing them to get very close and personal.

He moved his hips with hers, but from this angle it was very easy to feel every part of her. He let out a soft growl as she went from being all the way down on him, to only at the tip. He was consumed by her and he loved it.

Lucy was taken by surprise as he sat up. His chest grazing her large breast. A big grin spread across her scarlet face.

A few strands of her blonde locks fell across her face. Lucy shivered, her hips only stopping for moment when his lips and tongue met her neck. He was so gentle with her. She never thought they would come this far, but she was glad to have given herself to to the man she loved.

Her eyes narrowed down to his face watching him gently kissing her, feeling his hands caress her back, and slide up through her hair.

Lucy rolled her hips against his, her warmth burning against him. She rested one of her hands under his chin and tilted his head back up, their eyes locking for the millionth time, yet it never seemed to be any less desirable.

Her heart seemed to have slowed down. Everything had, even the rhythm of their hips grinding against each other...Or so it seemed that way to her. She inhaled, enjoying the faded scent of his cologne. She leaned her forehead against his, wrapping her around around him, pulling herself closer, and pushing her lower body even harder against his. She moaned, digging her nails into his back, her climax beginning to slowly rise. It was begging to burst free.

He glanced down, gritting his teeth as she dug her nails into his back. The lion gave her a pleasured growl, his hands went back down to her hips, but slid round and held onto her ass, and my god it was amazing! He held on, his grip was firm as he helped her move, he could feel her whole body tighten up around him.

"Ngh..." It was a great feeling, he murmured a groan into her chest, he wasn't sure he could hold this up much longer. He was trying but she was too delicious to resist. He moved his head up and took a hold of her lip with his teeth, his clouded gaze lifted to her, through ragged breaths, "Ngh-Lucy..." His velvet voice stuttered.

As Lucy rolled her hips down harder, she growled against his lips, digging her nails deeper and dragging them down his back. The heat between them was so intense, her climax rose faster now.

"Mmm..Loke..I don't know if I-I can hold ba-back any longer.." She fumbled her words, slamming hard against him. Her legs no longer shook, they were just numb from pleasure. She ran her hands back up his back, leaning down, her lips meeting his neck, working her way down, leaving a small love mark on his shoulder.

"Ha- T-then don't" He panted with haggard breath.

Loke knew the feeling, rolling his hips up to clash with hers in the heat of the moment. He arched his back as she dug her nails down into his skin wildly, leaving deep scratch marks down his back. G-gah! He loved it. He also loved the way she now had left her mark on his shoulder as if she subconsciously was marking her territory.

"Hnnghh..." He groaned through gritted teeth against her neck, trying to hold back a little longer. The concentration was strong with this one! He closed his eyes slightly, trying to focus.

Lucy slowed her pace, wanting the moment to last just a little longer. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip, proceeding to bite down on it. His hot breath hitting her skin, and the way he rocked his hips, bouncing her was pure bliss.

She brushed his hair away from his face, his cheeks burned with a slight shimmer.

"I'm not going to until you do.." She wanted nothing more than to make sure her lover was as satisfied as she was. She pulled herself against him as much as she could, digging his shaft deeper inside of her, and rested her forehead on his shoulder, slightly tugging his hair.

She was hot...They both were. It was almost as if they had melted into each other and became one. The pitter patter of his racing heart matched hers.

Lucy curled her toes and she wanted to release so badly, but forced herself to hold back. As she tried holding back, her breathing became heavier, and she couldn't stop herself from repeatedly moaning, louder and louder with each thrust. "Ngghh...L-Loke..."

Loke considered himself a master at endurance, but not with Lucy. Not like this. Lucy was paradise, she was his weakness.

As she bit his lip, he growled in a low tone, his nails slightly dug into her ass cheeks.

"Hgh..." His breath stuttered as he lowered his head and buried it in the crook of her neck. He matched her timing but decided to raise up into her, countering her slow speed. The slight curve of a smirk appearing through pleasured groans. He couldn't hold back anymore,

"Ha-.. Lucy..." His teeth slightly biting at her skin as he released.

"S-sorry... I can't hold back anymore..." His chest heaved. He continued to keep going, making sure his lady was not left hanging. He gritted his teeth, through waves of pleasure.

It was evident that Lucy was close to her climax. Her walls clenched his whole length. Torrents of pleasure crashed over her, as her lion gripped her ass, causing her to arch her back, moaning deeply and pant just as heavily.

Her hands fell down his sides, grasping his shaking midsection, squeezing tightly as he released. "Aahh-nghh!" She clenched her teeth, as she rolled her hips down onto him one last time before also releasing, letting out one more lioness groan. A sudden numbness spread across her body leaving her dazed. He was still embedded deep inside of her and she collapsed against him, completely out of breath. Her climax high began to fade after a few seconds, allowing her to sit back up, stealing a kiss from him and smiling.

"T-That wasn't how I expected my first time to be... It was... better." Her eyes sparkled, she was content. A few moments later, Lucy pulled herself off of his still semi-hard member, hissing through her teeth, flopping down next to him.

"So how did I do?" Her tone was sarcastic as she draped one arm over her eyes, smirking at her own comment. Lucy knew damn well she had pleasured him from the way he moaned.

Loke was out of breath, he took a moment to catch it again before looking at her with a grin. "That... That was ..." He flopped down to her side, laying behind her, his fingers running across her side, up and down her torso and hips. So beautiful.

"That was amazing. " He wasn't one for cheesy aftertalk but really, he never even imagined he'd be so lucky to get with Lucy, even after his many attempts to swoon her. He was quite sure he broke some kind of rule in the spirit world for doing this, but if they didn't know or care, then what was the problem. He loved Lucy, and that was all that mattered right now.

They were in prime spooning position but were both extremely naked! He stopped caressing her body for a moment, then sat up sniggering behind her. The lion had her silky underwear in his teeth.

"Hehe... Need these?" He gave her a cheeky grin holding them in his teeth. Her bra was on the floor and his boxers had appeared back on him. His closet change was so easy.

She squinted at the pervy lion, snatching her underwear away from him, her face strained as she tried her best not to whack him.

"Yes I do need these! Keep it up and you sir, will be grounded from touching me for a whole month!" Lucy slipped her panties back on, and leaned over, her ass most likely right in Loke's face. She smirked, knowing what she was doing, and grabbed a hair tie, and slipped her frazzled hair into a messy bun. Lucy crawled back into his arms, facing away from him. Her slender neck was now on show to him.

"Hehehe, you don't need them all the time do you?" He smirked, laughing at her reaction. "A whole month? That's mean Lucy, you know I wouldn't be able to resist you that long..."

She'd given herself to him now, she was now his lioness. He opened his arms so she could snuggle back In. He went to kiss her hair but stopped. ' _What the heck is that?'_

"Uh, Lucy... Don't be alarmed by what I'm about to do..." He hovered his hand over her neck. There was something embedded in her skin…

He carefully took a hold of the tip of it, going to pull it out as softly as he could.

Lucy scooted back into his arms, wanting to drift off to sleep. She was unfortunately interrupted. "What is it?"

"...It's..." He leaned in closer to take a better look, brushing a few stray hairs out of the way, his eyes widened.

"It's a lacroma!? A black one… " He gripped it with his fingers. "I'm sorry if this hurts. But you can't have this in you." He attempted to pull it out. Ow it's sharp…

"What?! Wait wai-" it was too late, he had already grabbed onto it. Lucy let out a painful gasp, biting down on her knuckles. "Damn it! Hurry up and get it out!"

Loke removed it fully, and placed it in his palm. It was longer than he'd even imagined.

"Jeeze... That's bigger than the one that was stuck in me..." He muttered, not realising she didn't know that little fact. It was Virgo who had removed his.

He leaned down and kissed her wound. He still had marks over his body from Lucy's nails and love bites.

"You alright?" He glanced up at her.

Lucy pressed her hand over her wound. It felt like someone had just stabbed her in the neck.

"Mm? The one that was stuck in you?" She rolled over, now facing him. "And yes, I'm fine." Lucy pulled his head down into her chest, holding him close to her, scratching his ears as they twitched. She could have sworn he was purring.

"Uh.. Yeah. Virgo pulled one out of my back... Bob said they could do bad things if we held onto them too long... " he rested his head on her chest, pretty happy as she actually hadn't put a top back on yet. The spot behind his ears... Urgh that's a good feeling... He closed his eyes utterly at peace.

"At least you're okay... I mean you seemed pretty darn good." He smirked. I mean she had angry outbursts today but who knows. She was fine since she got home. _Heheh..._ He stroked her legs softly in adoration as she scratched his ears.

"Bad things huh? Well good thing you noticed it." She continued to scratch his ear as she closed her eyes. Lucy had finally found her missing puzzle piece.

"We should get some rest, Beautiful. The guild will be holding a strategy meeting in the morning."

She shifted a bit and settled comfortably. "Goodnight Handsome."

"Good night, Gorgeous" He grinned, sleepily.

Loke's eyes were growing heavy, he moved to her side and looked over at her falling asleep inch by inch. He admired the way her gentle breathing caused her chest to rise and fall slightly. He watched her with complete adoration. The silver moonlight cast a complimentary shimmer onto her skin.

Loke moved his hand and pulled a cover over Lucy and himself (but leaving most of it for her). The lions eyes started to shut and before long, he'd fallen completely asleep. He had managed to find his face in her breasts in the middle of the night by accident and settled there, quite happily.


	10. Chapter 10: The Morning

**[[ Writers Note: What time is it? Its Still Smut O Clock! Although this has to be one of the funnest lemon's I've written!]]**

 **Chapter 10 - The Morning**

Dawn in Magnolia is unlike any other town. Its many cobbled streets, all lead to the heart of the city where the sun rises over its roof tops. It peeks over the chimneys and bursts the city into colour and light. That was the usual morning. Today however, clouds formed over the usually painted sky, and a light shower of rain drifted over the pavements, scattering itself over the bricks and formed big puddles on the ground. It was a summer rain storm.

Unaware to Loke & Lucy, a few of the spirits had summoned themselves during the night, cleared up and prepared a delightful breakfast for them both. They managed to not wake them up in the process. _Weird._

On the table, lay colourful fruits - all fresh and ripe, there were croissants, cheese, meats, yogurts - very continental. A pot of tea sat in the middle of the table with a note.

'We all pitched in to provide you both with some breakfast. This should help regain your strength from your _'fight'_ last night. We wanted you to know we are ready and waiting for you. Nirvana shall never ruin our worlds! Also, your secret is safe with us Princess. Signed: _Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus, Aries, Sagittarius, Gemini, Cancer, Aquarius & Scorpio.'_

It was dawn, and it was raining outside again. Each patter of rain bounced off the windows, tapping against it in a soft rhythmic chime.

Lucy awoke. She shifted as she peaked one eye open, looking down to see her lion nestled in her breasts, fast asleep. A grin spread across her face. She bent down and kissed the top of his head. He looked so peaceful lying there, one hand draped over Lucy's waist. Visions of last night raced through her mind. It was perfect, absolutely perfect.

Lucy inched herself away, trying not to wake him. She sat up and crawled over him, picking up her shirt off the floor and slipping it back on.

Lucy strolled towards the kitchen, seeing the exquisite meal the Zodiac's had brought for her and Loke.

"Hmm a note?" She picked it up and quickly read it. Her face was flushed, cheeks red from embarrassment.

"OUR 'FIGHT'?! OH MY GOD! SERIOUSLY?!" Lucy slammed the note on the counter. 'W-were they watching us?' She groaned, her eyes scrunched up. It was pretty obvious she was irritated. Although it was sweet, she wished she could a bit of privacy...including when it came to her sex life. The agitated Lucy stormed back into the bedroom and began to repeatedly shake Loke.

"Hey! We need to have a talk mister!"

Loke's eyes snapped open, and he bolted up right up. He rubbed his head from the slight head rush he'd given himself from doing so, and put his shades on to look at her. Too early.

"Hmm? What's up beautiful?" He said sleepily. He looked over to her, tilting his head, confused. "What's wrong?" He pondered, just sat in his designer boxers on her bed.

"It seems everyone in the Celestial world knows about last night.." Her one eye twitched as she rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself. "They did however bring us food...but still.."

Loke stared at her, his lip twitching slightly. "..."

He turned away quickly and started laughing, before placing his hand on his mouth to stop himself.

"Not possible... Well… Uh… Only all of your keys can know about it... Dirty bastards." He covered his mouth and turned back still smirking.

"Want me to go tell them all to stop being so nosey ?"

"I don't care if it's the whole celestial world or just my keys, that's just...creepy." Lucy sighed, giving him a half smile.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not ashamed of being with you. I'd tell the whole world we were together...But not about our sex life."

She leaned over and kissed his lips. "Hmm...But please do tell them off. Now let's eat! We got a big day ahead of us!" Her mood shifted as she turned her head back to see all that glorious food again.

He smiled warmly at her.

" I have a feeling I know whose idea it was..." He muttered, thinking of Taurus and Scorpio just high fiving each other.

" I'll have a word. Hehe..." He stood up, sparkling into a clean suit.

"You're right, let's eat, what do yo-" he noticed all the food. " Wait they were here!?"

"Well...yeah, I just said they brought us food. Silly head!" She ruffled his hair and giggled.

" ... Sorry, I was in such a deep sleep.. I hadn't fully woken up. Not slept so well in the human world" he beamed, not realising where his head had been resting the whole night.

He went and pulled a chair out for her, letting her sit down.

Lucy sat down, and started staring at the food like a starved animal. She absolutely loves Celestial food.

"Mmm...I don't know where to start!"

He poured them some tea, and gave her a cup.

"It all looks delicious. Start with whatever you feel like I guess" He took a seat, glancing at a croissant.

Lucy put a few items on a plate, and started to laugh under her breath slightly.

"Oh Loke. You slept like a baby. I know you had a good night's sleep" She giggled and picked up a strawberry. Lucy examined it. It was plump. She proceeded to dip it in the yogurt and bit into it. "Mm god that's good." The sweet and bitter tastes bounced off her taste buds. She lifted her eyes back up to her spirit and smiled.

His attention was drawn back to Lucy as she ate the juicy strawberry, he didn't notice he was staring her eat the juicy fruit. When he finally did, he proceeded to quickly pick up an orange and unpeel it.

"Ahaha, really? Why?" He eat one of the slices, tasting how juicy and fresh it was. He beamed, having finished eating a few other things with Lucy, and sipping on some tea.

She grabbed a croissant, breaking it in half. "Mmm your face was just smothered in my breast." Lucy sniggered, taking a bite of the fluffy croissant.

Loke gave her a smirk back, and sipped on some tea. "Oohh…" _Sweet._

After a while, the conversation shifted slightly. Now that they had some food in their bellies that was!

"Do you think Erza will try take a strategic charge of your mission?" He tilted his head, pondering what else may happen when they finally get back to the guild hall. All of those guild members saw the pair walk off together into the sunset.

"She probably will, but all ideas are open. We need all the backup we can get." She sipped her tea, bringing one leg up onto the seat of the chair, still only wearing a shirt and panties.

"Oh! After I eat I need a shower..." She could still smell last nights sex on them. "And so do you..."

Loke rested his head on his palm, watching her dreamily,

"Is that an invite?" He had a stupid grin across his lips.

"Perhaps it is." Lucy popped a meat slice in her mouth, never breaking eye contact with him. She leaned forward, acting like she was gonna kiss him. Instead she fixed his tie and sat back down, popping another meat slice in her mouth and eating it.

Loke bit the inside of his cheek, we really didn't have time for this but DAMMIT she was irresistible - AND TEASING HIM AGAIN!

"...Oh really?" He was wondering how quickly he could remove a suit- oh wait, instantly. He grinned to himself, smugly.

Lucy eyed the clock and sighed.

"Yes really, but let's make it quick." She scoffed down a few more items and stood up, pulling her top off, now only in her panties. Lucy turned around slightly, grinning.

"Well? Are you coming?" she chimed.

Loke has never stood up so fast in his life! He obviously tried to remain looking cool, but knocked the chair on the way up and had to stop it from falling over as it spun on one leg.

He quickly, and clumsily adjusted the chair and tucked it under the table rather ungracefully and turned back to follow her. He tried to make it so that didn't just happen.

The suit sparkled off him, leaving him back in his boxers once more. "Defiantly."

Lucy let her hair down, and continued strolling towards the bathroom, making sure to sway her hips, teasing him. She slid her panties off, bent over, and turned the water on.

"How warm do you like your water?" Lucy Smirked.

Loke gulped, watching her blatantly tease him. "H-hot..." Loke stuttered as he followed her in, as if in a trance.

"Oh so steamy? Just how I like it." Lucy contained herself from laughing as she stepped in the shower. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

He nodded and followed her in, the designer boxers trailing off in a flurry of golden sparkles through the steam. His voice was deep, low and silky,

"So how clean do you plan on being today?" He smirked, giving her a cheeky grin. The water trickled through his hair, causing it to stick to his skin. It splashed down over his defined body.

"Hmm depends.." Lucy glanced over her shoulder at him, her smirk growing as she saw how delicious he looked. She turned around, and acted like she was reaching down towards his member.

"How fast can you go?" Her hand moved off to the side as she grabbed a shampoo bottle, squeezing some into her hands.

Loke twitched internally as he watched her. _GOD DAMNIT SHE WAS TEASING HIM AGAIN._

"As fast as you need me too..." He raised his hand above her like he was going to lean over her, but instead grabbed some soap. Two can play at this game. The water dripped off his face and lips, he drew suds to his hands from the soap, biting his lip with a smirk. The lion wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Oh really?" She nearly fell when he grabbed the soap, teasing her back. _That bastard!_ She cursed under her breath and poked him in the chest.

"Quit using my teasing techniques. Use something original! Hmph." She ran the shampoo through her hair, lathering her golden locks.

He scoffed a slight laugh,

"Original? You're so brave..."

His golden eyes lowered onto her, he swiftly picked her up in his arms held her closely to him, but proceeded to then place her down under the shower head and swapped places, he bit his lip smirking. "This should help the shampoo..." The water ran through her hair. Loke lathered himself chuckling devilishly.

Lucy whimpered as he sat her down.

"Thanks..."

She lowered her voice. "Ass..."

She continued to lather her hair, and turned away from him.

Lucy really wanted it, but she knew they couldn't go THAT fast. Could they? She washed the shampoo from her hair, allowing the suds to trail down her back, and over her curves. She whipped around, pressed against him, and spun him around, switching places with him.

"That was payback for using my technique,"

Loke sniggered at the ass comment. He got some shower gel on his hand and walked over to her. "The back is always a hard spot to reach..." He ran his hands down her back, his head resting on her shoulder with an even more devilish grin across his lips. His hands lathered down the arch of her back, trailing to her ass but moving back up before touching her. She was covered in suds now.

Lucy stiffened, awaiting his touch...That never came.

"Gaaahh!" She had enough of his teasing so she pushed him against the shower wall.

"You have two options. You can either prop me against that wall and make love to me or you can quickly clean up and get out!" She grit her teeth, frustrated.

Lucy thought she had him wrapped around her finger, but it was the other way around. She couldn't resist him.

"Heh... I didn't know you could read minds Lucy... " The water ran down his front, he raised his head into it, gazing at her intently.

He took a step forward making it look like he was going to step out of the shower, before he picked her up, spun her around to swap places with her and pinned her up against the wall of the shower, so she was under the spray, he had her resting on his hips.

"Hnnn... How else would you of know how badly I wanted to do this?" The lion's voice was a low growl, a low passionate growl.

Lucy bit her lip, letting out a soft seductive moan as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist.

"Oh I knew what you would do..." She crept forward, pressing her lips against his, kissing him deeply, running her fingers through his damp hair.

Lucy pulled back, breathing heavily. "What are you waiting for?"

It hadn't crossed his mind that they'd been playing teasing games this entire time. She gave him a demanding choice and he went for it. She was utterly irresistible.

Loke's haggard breath panted slightly as he glanced at her. Lucy was his drug and he wanted more of her. She was utterly addictive. He kissed under her ear, following along her jawline,

"Hgh... Why are you so delicious?" He murmured from her neck.

Lucy felt that same amazing tingling sensation rising again. What has he done to her? It was like all her innocence was gone because of this man, but God did she love it.

She tugged on his hair, growling as he teased her. His words made her melt instantly.

"I-I could ask you the same question..."

Steam rose from their skin, and the way he had pushed her against the wall made everything hotter. The steam made it hard to breath, making Lucy feel dazed.

"Please...Loke...Don't tease me like that...Nngghh.."

Loke ran both his hands down to her ass, hoisting her up, his lips trailed back from her jaw to her lip, gently biting them. "All my teasing will make up for something fun." He winked. The shower was soaking them both.

Lucy twitched, her breath staggered from his words.

"Oh and what kind of fun would that be?" Lucy replied.

She dug her nails into his shoulders. The sweet smell of Lucy's arousal grew. Her lower body was hot, almost like lava. She wanted him so badly. Gah!

"The sort of fun that leaves you moaning and breathless..." he purred into her ear with a smirk.

His nails slightly dug into her ass cheeks, he nipped at her skin, his body pressed up against hers.

"Sound like fun to you?" The lion asked.

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek, goosebumps rising on her skin despite all the steam. She let out a frustrated whimper when he gripped her ass.

Lucy was left speechless by his words, all she could do was nod slightly, her cheeks bright scarlet.

Unfortunately, they _really_ didn't have enough time for this at all. A certain pink haired boy was running through the streets, heading towards Lucy's building.

"Hmnn...Glad you agree." Loke's lips ran down her chest as he hoisted her up into a better position

"I'd say we have about 5 minutes before we need to get ready"

His eyes locked onto hers as he started to lower her onto him.

The pink haired mage, tired as can be, slowed his pace to a jog. He really didn't get much sleep last night after Happy insisted on letting Lisanna stay over like old times and play house. For such a small girl, Lisanna could shake the whole house with the way she snored. "Urrgghh.." Natsu groaned. "I need more foooood…"

Lucy braced one shaking hand against the shower wall, her toes curled in anticipation.

"Can you w-work that quickly?" She locked eyes with him. This was just as intense as last night. Her warmth throbbed as he lowered her.

"That a challenge, Beautiful?" The lion was determined, his lustful eyes gazed down at hers. He lowered her onto his hips, moving upwards into her gently. He gave her a chance to ease up. The lion's grin had a wild look to it. His claws dug into her ass passionately.

"Maybe it-" before Lucy could finish, he had already began to enter her. It still hurt.

"Wh-hy are you so big Loke?" She managed to say through clenched teeth. The pain eased up after a few seconds, and all Lucy could feel was pure bliss. His length hit her G-Stop in this position, which drove Lucy insane. She grabbed his face, and kissed him passionately.

The pink haired boy was only a block away, he picked up the pace again. "Where is Happy when I need him!?" He growled.

 _'Heh... My ego is high enough already...'_ He thought as she complimented him.

Loke returned the kiss, allowing his tongue passage into her mouth. He passionately explored it, tantalising her from all angles.

His grip was firm, as he rolled his hips up into her, using his claws to counter it. The grind was lustful, full of energy and wild.

He was putting his all into making sure he stayed in the right spot to give her maximum pleasure, he could feel her tighten around him in arousal with every thrust.

The lion had a low, sexy growl which escaped the kiss every now and then as they took a staggered breath.

The pace was fast, the water splashed off their steamy hot bodies. "Ngh..." He groaned hungrily.

Lucy allowed him to explore her mouth as she did the same to him. The way he tasted was intoxicating, almost like her perfect brand of heroine...Lucy was addicted to everything about him.

She muffled a small moan though each breath, her lower back slammed into the shower wall as he dug deep inside of her, her walls tightening over his length.

Lucy couldn't help but to moan every time her lion hit her G-spot. Everything was hazy. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She was in Paradise.

"Mmff…" She pulled away from the heated kiss, " L-Loke...fast..er!"

The Salamander finally reached Lucy's building. He hopped up to her window, slid it open and crawled in.

"Huh...where's Lucy?" He looked around, noticing the food on the table.

"Oh boy!" He was memorized by how delicious it all looked. Like always, Natsu treated himself to everything. He sat down, stomach only half satisfied. Everything was quite relaxed... _well_...for a moment it was.

"Nggghh!" Lucy's moans grew louder.

Natsu shot at glace at the bathroom door in horror.

"Is that..Lucy?" He rose to his feet, creeping towards the bathroom. What sounded like Lucy getting her ass kicked echoed through Natsu's ears. The dragon slayer quickly brought his scarf over his head, raising his fingers and scuttled over to the door quietly.

"LUCYYYYY!" He kicked open the bathroom door in full Ninja mode, and rushed over to the shower with his scarf around his head. He ripped back the curtains, only to see Lucy and Loke…

"Errr.." His eye twitched as he pulled his scarf off his face.

"Lucy... You didn't have to listen to me yesterday..."

Lucy whipped her head to the side, her sight still blurry, but she knew EXACTLY who that voice belonged too.

"NATSU WHAT THE HELL?!" She screamed.

Loke rolled his head back to Natsu, narrowing his eyes, still holding her ass firmly against the shower wall.

"...Natsu, can't you see we're busy?" He simply said.

There was an aura of annoyance in the air, but it was still hot and steamy in the room. This made it fairly tense.

Lucy swatted at Natsu. "Quit staring you creep!" She glanced over at Loke who seemed to be just as pissed off as she was.

Natsu just stood there blankly. He didn't know what to say. Seeing Lucy like this shocked him. He snapped out of it, and looked up at Loke who was glaring at him.

"Heh...my bad.."

He reached behind his head, staggering back towards the door, casually strolling out, whistling as if nothing happened. Before he reached the door, Natsu yelled to the two of them.

"Y'all two hurry up! I'd hate to have to explain to the guild why you're late!" He sniggered, and hopped out the window.

Loke frowned at him, trying to hold back out out of breath he was, and gently lowered Lucy to her feet.

"Hngrrrr..." He growled slightly. "Has he never heard of knocking?" The lion turned his head back to Lucy, noticing her annoyance too.

 _'Seriously, does he just burst in? God Dammit Natsu, I may have to teach you a lesson in manners... Not that I can talk, standing here stark naked... '_ Loke thought to himself, with a flustered pout on his face.

Lucy also frowned, clenching her fist.

"I'LL KILL THAT DRAGON BOY!"

She stepped out the shower, wrapped a towel around her body and used one to dry her hair.

"I'm sorry Loke, I guess I should have made sure everything was locked." She turned back towards him. "I swear I'll make it up to you.."

He sighed and walked out the shower, bursting into gold and being completely dry and in a new suit. Spirit life sure was easy.

"Don't worry about it Lucy, I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to make up for lost time when the Nirvana problem is solved... I can make sure of that..."

He grinned at her, made sure the shower was turned off and walked over to his master….


	11. Chapter 11: Strategy

**[[** **Writers Note:** **We thought hard about our villains! Enjoy some history, new ships and some deep story telling all on the way! 3 ]]**

 **Chapter 11 - Strategy.**

Loke and Lucy had spent the night together. To say the least, there wasn't too much sleeping involved. Having Natsu just waltz in on them in the act, the pair were pretty miffed. Okay, miffed was an understatement. Lucy was furious but had to get her head back in the game. Nirvana wasn't going to stop itself. Ashton was not going to be caught without them and this mysterious spirit was not going to be found if both Lucy and Loke's heads didn't climb out of the gutter.

Lucy was standing, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

Loke wrapped his arms around her from behind, whilst she was in the towel. His recent change of outfit (from naked to clothed…) meant he was very clean, had fresh cologne on and completely contradicted the act that was just going on in Lucy's shower.

"Just make sure you look out for yourself too, I don't know what I'd do without you."

He rested his head on her shoulder grinning as he glanced at them in the mirror. He kissed her cheek and then stood up straight, and adjusted his tie to be perfect.

Although Lucy was extremely agitated, she allowed his embrace. This eased her irritation slightly.

She inhaled the scent of his cologne. It was her favorite smell. It meant Loke was around, and he made her happy. Lucy gazed over at the mirror, smiling as she saw the two of them in the reflection. "We make a cute couple don't we?"

Loke agreed with her, they did look good together. In a long time he never looked or felt so at ease with someone.

She turned towards him, stood on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek. "Give me 5 minutes and I'll be ready."

Lucy rummaged through her draws quickly, throwing the towel to the ground.

"This should do!" She quickly changed into a red skirt that hung down a little past mid-thigh, a simple white tank top and a light grey button up blouse. She pulled her hair up into a tight bun, and sprayed a small amount of perfume. It was a faint smell of cherry blossoms. Lucy slid on her black flats and checked herself in the mirror once more. "You ready?"

He rested his head on his palm dreamily as he waited in the kitchen for her. He had a stupid grin on his face. ' _Mmm cherry blossoms.'_

"I'm as ready as I can be to face the guild and Nirvana in one day!" He stood up adjusted the cufflinks on his sleeves as she walked in to meet him.

Lucy smacked her forehead. "Oh great, that should be a blast..." She rolled her eyes and followed him.

"Let's go, Beautiful." He and Lucy left the house, walked outside only to find it was still raining the same as it was when they woke up.

Loke sparkled an umbrella into his hands and held his arm out for Lucy to join him at his side, under it as they walked to the guild hall.

She linked arms with him, and the duo both walked up the street. Her shoes and feet were already soaked from stepping in a few puddles.

"I totally didn't dress appropriately for the weather today." Lucy hated wet shoes, the annoying squeaking sound they made each time she took a step. "Urrgh!"

Loke chuckled and put his jacket over her shoulders.

"I can't give you new shoes but this should keep the chill away"

They finally made it to the guild. Everyone was circled around one of the tabled with a serious expression, hovering over Erza and Levy who seemed to be looking through some old files. As the guild doors shut, everyone broke concentration and looked up at the couple enter.

There was a moment of silence.

Lucy felt very uncomfortable with all eyes on her and Loke. She could only hope flame brain didn't say anything about what he had seen, and ruined-

 _Rumble!_

The guys all stampede towards Loke, basically pushing Lucy to the side, asking him a bunch of perverted questions.

"Was it good?"

"Did you touch her boobs?"

"What was it like, Loke!? Tell us!"

They all went for him, backing him up back against the door asking him questions all at once. He held his hands up in defence quickly,

"Uhh- I'm not going to answer your questions, that's between me and Lucy." Normally, he'd have bragging rights, but with Lucy, it was different. He didn't want to spoil it.

And of course, Gray burst through the crowd, High fiving Loke. "Nice dude!"

He still had a slight smug grin on his face as Gray high fived him. "Thanks?" He tilted his head. ' _Damnit flame head, I'll get you for this'._ He noticed him and Happy sniggering around the table with Erza.

Lucy was about to protest when a mob of Loke's ex's surrounded Lucy, looking absolutely pissed.

Lucy put her hands up in front of her, trying to defend herself.

"H-Hey now. No need to be so angry."

The girls looked like they were going to rip Lucy apart like a bunch of savages.

"HE DOESN'T REALLY LOVE YOU!"

"She probably couldn't satisfy him! Ha!"

"You dress like a tramp! How could he ever want to touch you ?!"

Loke's eyes widened as the girls went for her. ' _The hell are they doing here?! Natsu can't of blurted to them as well?'_ Apparently so. He was about to raise his voice at them but Lucy beat him too it.

Lucy snapped. She had already dealt with his ex's at Blue Pegasus.

"Woah woah woah. Listen here you stupid bimbo's! Unlike you, I didn't have to get his attention."

"What'd you do, show him your saggy boobs?!" one girl quickly replied.

She clenched her fist, her one eye twitching from annoyance, then narrowed, glancing at Loke. He was _her_ lion!

Finally after a few more rude comments from the girls, Lucy slammed her foot on the ground.

"I don't remember you trying to save him. Or you, or even you!"

She snapped, pointing through the crowd.

"I showed him something that you didn't. I showed him, compassion, friendship, loyalty, and most importantly...LOVE! The only thing you all ever cared about was his looks and his charm! Loke is more than that! He's absolutely amazing. He's smart, gentle, and a damn good cook. Loke is my best friend and he's the guy I'm going to be with until he tells me otherwise. So BACK OFF because he's MINE!" The blonde roared, going straight into Juvia mode.

The girls...No..the entire guild stopped. Everyone's eyes were on Lucy, and it was quiet. Too quiet.

Lucy glanced back over towards Loke who looked like he'd just seen a ghost by his facial expression.

"Now that's what I call love." Makarov stepped through the silenced crowd, hands behind his back. "Congratulations my child. I'm happy for the two of you." He laughed.

Listening to her, Loke couldn't bring words to his lips, and just stared at her. No one has ever said anything like that about him before, and she was right, she did show him all those things which made him crazy about her.

The girls backed off, watching the intense stare between them both. They were no match, Lucy was victorious over them.

"Lucy..." He burst into the brightest smile she'd ever seen on his face.

"-he's so whipped." Laxus burst out laughing loudly from upstairs. He was watching the whole scene with Bixlow and Freed.

"I definitely called this happening ever since we fought..." Bixlow gave them a grin, sticking his tongue out.

"I think it's pretty nice..." Freed said quietly.

The guys and Ex's began to converse about this.

"He's whipped? He can't. He's too much of a player."

Loke watched them talk back, clenching his fist. Screw his playboy reputation, that was just to keep him occupied while he was banished. Yes, he has a weakness for beautiful women, but Lucy was his biggest weakness. She saved his life, she made him happy and most of all, he adored her.

He grit his teeth, "So what if I am?" He burst out, causing everyone to stare back at him in shock and horror.

"Hmph, none of you would understand. I love Lucy and that's the end of it. Quit asking questions and annoying Lucy. She's gone through enough already because of me."

He took her hand and squeezed it, raising it up into the air.

"This beauty is mine...and I'll do anything to make her happy."

He subtly slipped his golden Leo ring onto her thumb, making sure no one but her noticed.

"So you all better keep that in mind..." He flicked his eyes to her, noticing her equally shocked expression.

His voice ran through her mind, the key holders and spirits telepathy skill sure was useful.

"I'm not asking you to promise me anything but I want to prove my loyalty to you. Keep it safe"

Loke's golden eyes lowered and he then turned his head to the others, raising his voice again.

"Anyway, Don't we have work to do..." He laughed, awkwardly.

Lucy was astonished by his words. All she could do was stand there, frozen in time. She didn't expect this from him, but after a few seconds she snapped out of it, feeling something slide onto her finger.

"Loke wha-" Lucy stared at her hand. Her heart melted when she saw his ring on HER finger. She knew it meant a lot to him.

His voice echoed through her head. She locked arms with him once again, smiling broadly.

Loke bit the inside of his lip to conceal the stupid grin across his face from the others. _'One day, this girl will be my queen...'_ He looked at her softly before snapping back to reality.

The guild agreed with Loke, nodding their heads and crowding back around the table. The two lovers walked over behind Natsu, who didn't even notice them until Lucy smacked him in the back of the head.

"You'll pay for this later Flame brain!" He turned towards them with a big stupid grin on his face.

"Whaaaat? I couldn't help it. It was bound to get around town anyway, Loke's a popular guy! Might as well get it over with now, ehh?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and pushed past him, sitting next to Levy and Erza who had files spread out across the table.

"Did you find anything interesting?"

Levy reached over and grabbed a manilla folder and handed it to Lucy.

"This file has almost everything you need to know about Ashton. There's some juicy stuff in there, Luce."

Levy narrowed her eyes, frowning. "It got me a little speechless actually..."

She opened the file, skimming through everything In Ashton's file:

 _Age: 27_

 _Height: 182cm_

 _Weight: 197lb_

 _Eye color: Green_

 _Sex: Male_

 _Hair color: Black_

She read through some description and stopped, her eyes widened, and she threw her hand back and hit Loke on the chest slightly to get his attention.

"Uhh Loke...You better look at this."

He stood behind Lucy, looking down at it all before being jabbed in the chest. "Hn.. What is it?"

She pointed to two eye catching words and handed him the file.

 _'Karen's Ex Lover'_ was all he had to see.

He glanced down at the page and sighed , resting his head on top of Lucy's.

"Why is she always the cause of my problems?" He pouts, reading through the file.

"I don't remember an Ashton... Maybe he went by a different name in the guild..."

Lucy growled, she was so sick of hearing about Karen!

"It's it strange how she starts popping up now that we're together? Her brother..now her lover.." Lucy had an irritated pout on her face.

Someone got up and let Loke sit down, he took the page and pushed his shades up with his forefinger.

"So what we know is that the lacroma in the area have enough energy to create explosive blasts... As I unfortunately found out. My concern is that they try and use them in Christina after they have restored Nivana. Two dangerous weapons under their control? They'd be unstoppable. Bob is unaffected for now but he is weak, he needs our help as does everyone in this world. Erza..."

He looked up at her. "What are your thoughts?"

Erza looked at him seriously, "We need to track down where they've been hiding. I had a word with Bob myself, he said a lot of his guild went out looking for Ashton to try and stop him, including Hibiki and...Ichiya..."

She shuddered. "Natsu, we need you and Gajeel's dragon slayer noses to follow the scent of Ichiya's parfume... I have a feeling they're being held captive so word doesn't get out."

Gajeel and Natsu nodded. She looks back to Loke and Lucy, "I know this is your mission, Lucy. But we will never let you go through something this big alone. "

Loke smiles, "Thanks guys..." He looked around at the guild.

Lucy smiled at Erza, nodding. "Thanks Erza, and you know we would do the same for you!"

Makarov was standing on the table, "Right then! I want you all to split into your teams.. Keep close by and whatever you do, do not forget your fellow guild members are your family, your friends, your allies. Fairy Tail will prevail over darkness and make sure our children have a future!"

Loke rose his hand into the air, the guild following suit! "Yeah!"

Lucy listened closely to Makarov's uplifting words, rising to her feet with the rest of the guild and shot her hand up into the hair. "Yeah!" She was pumped for this mission. Once this was over with, she could be alone with Loke!

The guild fled out the door, bags packed and ready for battle. Lucy stayed next to Loke, examining the file closer as they walked with everyone towards the train station.

"Hey Loke, maybe he wasn't Karen's lover ." She raised her brow.

"It says Ashton has a bad habit of obsessing over things. Perhaps he was just in love with Karen, and thought he was actually in a relationship with her. Man...And I thought Ichiya was a creep."

She shuddered. "But I could be wrong. It's just a thought."

"I'm sorry she keeps cropping up. I didn't think someone could cause so much damage from beyond the grave." He sighed. He was starting to wonder why his past was causing him so many problems. Maybe this is the price he is paying for tweaking the rules, and dating his owner.

"But maybe you're right. She attracted a lot of admirers, maybe he's a crazed fan." He said, knowing that very feeling.

As they sat on the train, Loke and Lucy sat in cargo with Natsu, Happy, Erza, & Gray. Levy, Gajeel and Juvia managed to get a table in another carriage to look over notes.

"Erza, where exactly are we going? Back to Oak town right? You guys need to see the lacroma."

Erza nodded, and causally knocked out the motion sick Natsu with a punch.

"Of course, but only us, and Levy and Gajeel need to go check this out, we don't want to take our chances with everyone being there. Levy has a few books on Lacroma that might help us identify what we're up against, and we need the guys to back us up if anything were to happen. I have a feeling Hibiki and Ichiya are somewhere on the outskirts of Oak town, since that's where everything would be taking place."

Lucy nodded, her hands resting on her knees, very into what Erza was saying.

Lucy remembered the lacroma that Loke pulled out of her neck, she snapped her fingers.

"Oh by the way, you guys remember how moody I was yesterday?" They nodded. "Well, I have a theory. Bob said bad things happen when someone is exposed by the lacroma for long periods of time, well I had one stuck in the back of my neck after that explosion. I was thinking, what if Ashton is using those lacroma to control those people, making them do bad things! That would explain why I smacked Juvia. You know me well enough that I would never hurt a guild member like that."

"Yours was in a place no one would of seen it... What if the others are like that? The lacroma can really dig in deep. " Loke replied.

Erza rubbed her chin, smirking at the thought.

"Not a bad theory Lucy. You may have figured out a big clue to this mission."

"But where would it be? It has to be somewhere that they can't pull it out...like.." Lucy's eye got big, "What if they're feeding them the Lacroma? Like crushing it up and putting it in their food?"

"Feeding them..?" Erza responded, hand on her chin thinking.

Loke looked back at Lucy, "We found them in the water supply... They said It makes their crops grow large... You may have a point but I guess we'll see huh… " Lucy nodded back to Loke. "Mhm.."

Gray leaned forward and interrupted. "Yeah, sorry about being an ass yesterday Lucy, I guess it's just a natural reaction."

Happy landed on Gray's head, sniggering away. "Or maybe you're innnnn looooooveeeee with Juviaa!"

"Am not you stupid cat!" Gray growled back, balling a fist at him.

"Haha, it's okay, no worries." Lucy laughed,

Gray was swatting at Happy. Erza tried to stop the mess, and Natsu was still unconscious on the floor of the train, drooling.

Lucy subtly looked down at the ring Loke had slipped on her thumb. It was a bit too big, but she loved it and she knew she didn't have to worry about his Playboy reputation.

Although the girls are jealous, Loke gave her his ring, and he had never done that with any girl...has he? She whipped her head up at him, and with a hushed tone, began to speak.

"Have you ever given this ring to anyone else?"

Loke noticed her gazing at the ring, it brought a smile to his lips. It was too big for her. He continued to smile as she asked and responded quietly.

"In all my time being Leo and receiving that ring from my father, no one but me has ever worn it. " He took her hand.

"No one but you."

Erza had noticed their hushed conversation, along with Gray. They just looked at them, then glanced down at Lucy's hand before looking at each other and smirking.

"Cute..." Erza simply said.

As he took Lucy's hand, holding it ever so lovingly, Lucy leaned against him, tightening the hold.

She raised her eyes to Erza who had a gah-gah look on her face.

"Oh heh...thanks." Lucy blushed deeply, trying her best to hide it.

Loke smiled at it. They did look pretty cute together. His mind started to wander as he glanced subtly at the ring on her thumb.

Gray was looking right at him. He exchanged a glance with him.

"You're a total space case today man. Haha." Gray laughed, allowing Loke to gather his thoughts and shake it off.

"I am having a bad feeling about who the female spirit might be... It's just a hunch though... "

He said to Lucy, with a worried tone.

"I just hope I'm wrong." He sighed.

All of this was starting to make sense to him but the thought alone scared him. There are parts of the celestial world he didn't want Lucy to know about, but I guess its going to come to light sooner or later...

"Ehh?" Lucy tilted her head up at him, looking a bit confused.

"Well who do you think it is?" She noticed a strained look in his eyes that worried her.

He frowned and rested his head on his palm and looked out the window.

"There are houses in the spirit world belonging to each constellation. If a spirit who is charge of said key dies ... it gets moved to the next in the bloodline. So, house of Leo, I have a very annoying sister and brother who wants their shot at the key one day. Anyway, back to the point..."

He looked back at the group who were all listening carefully with amazement at the information they were being given.

"Yukino has a key to Ophiuchus right? Well not all of that family are as ... _Charming_ as Ophiuchus. The members of her family are always fighting and causing trouble. I used to be good friends with the younger daughter of their house... But she got jealous when I finally got given my duty as Zodiac leader... Blah blah blah she turned into a bitch..." He didn't sound keen of her, that's for sure.

He frowned even harder,

"She uses very dangerous magic. It's manipulative and toxic...She can numb your magic power with a bite…"

He took a breath. It was clear Loke did not wish to speak about his history in great detail since he skimmed over that part, he didn't care much for her, especially since she reminded him of Karen far too much.

Loke's head rested on his palm still, as his gaze rolled Over to Lucy as she took in all this information.

Lucy listened carefully, amazed by all the spirit knowledge Loke was feeding her. She was always up for learning new things about the celestial world.

"Why did she get jealous if you were such good friends?"

Lucy noticed how pale his face was from talking about this, it must really bother him. She gripped his hand tightener, trying to comfort him.

"Why did she get jealous?" He looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You of all people should know Ophiuchus isn't considered a real Zodiac, they're known as the 13th gate. Their house have been trying to sneak their way in for a very long time. What better way to get in with the crowd than to marry into the family. " He rubbed his head for a moment, and closed his eyes.

"- And what's the quickest way to the top?" He opened his eyes again, painfully at the memory.

"With the leaders, The House of Leo."

It was clear that the Snakes tried to use Leo as an easy way in, manipulating him into a friendship or more and snaking their way to his heart where they'd slowly rot him from the inside out.

"There are a few other spirits who have drifted from the right path, but with the state of things, it just feels like something Lilith would do. She always had a weird smirk when she saw me unhappy, almost like she was enjoying it."

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek. _'M-arriage? I'll kick her ass!'_ She thought as she scrunched her nose at the thought. _'Just breathe Lucy...this is serious work. There is no time for tantrums..'_ Lucy took a deep breath, exhaling all the negativity.

"Luckily we had our differences once I was finally given my responsibility and I saw past their lies and didn't fall under her poisonous charm..." He said through gritted teeth.

"This is why I hope I am wrong... But the way it's being laid out is really not looking hopeful... I just hope she hasn't gotten any stronger. Lilith was banished the last I heard though..."

"Banished? Is she that bad?" Lucy tried to imagine what Lilith would look like. Snakes for hair? Snake body? Perhaps she was scaly! Ha! Loke would never get with a scaly women.

 _'Hehehe...'_ A pervy look spread across Lucy's face as she ran her hand across her SMOOTH AND UN-SCALY SKIN!

She looked up and noticed everyone giving her a funny look.

"Uhh..Lucy? Are you sure that Lacroma didn't affect you?" Gray asked with a sarcastic tone.

"Heh! No no no I'm fine!" She waved her hands in defence "Just loveeee to rub my skin! S-see," She reached her hand out "feel! Soooooo soft!"

Gray backed away, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Yeeeeah...no thanks I'm good." He looked at her weirdly.

"This is no time for fooling around you two! This is serious." Erza protested, giving Lucy a disappointed look, then Gray.

"Yes ma'am!"

Loke tilted his head at Lucy. She really was weird at times, but he loved it. He gave her a gentle smile as she went off on a tangent about Lilith's skin. Man she will be pissed off when she meets her, and her non scaly skin...

In fact, Lilith was a very beautiful but fierce, terrifying woman who worn metal armour much like her sibling who is currently under Yukino's control. She had piercing green eyes and A slender body like a snake. _How he hated her._ There was one thing he hadn't mentioned. After Erza protested, Loke continued,

"She was banished as she ... Well, she killed another spirit in cold blood... But it wasn't any spirit, it was a member of the celestial council, a high ranking elder. Her banishment was unlike mine. She can't see another spirit in Earthland who bares the mark of the stars."

"Ehh?! She killed a spirit in cold blood?! Wow, she sounds scary.." Lucy twiddled her thumbs with a pouty look on her face.

 _'Nehhh...what did I get myself into? Wahhh!'_ She subconsciously screamed, banging her head against a wall. Oh how she wished she could actually do that right now without being unprofessional.

He pondered, and removed all his cuff links,

"As these are from my house, it maybe worth each of you wearing one too... Its the least I can do to protect you from her."

He offered them to Gray, Happy and Erza and stuck one in Natsu's shirt as he laid there unconscious.

They had Leo symbols on them. He looked back at Lucy,

"You are already safe." His lips curves into a dirty looking smirk and he wiggled his eyebrows.

 _'You're already one with the house of the lion'_ he sniggered, sending this to her mind with his keys magic.

"Urrggh..wait hmm?" Lucy had a puzzled expression. "How am I already saf-?" A scary idea popped into her head, and just as it did, a pissed off aura rose above Lucy as she glared at Loke, gritting her teeth.

 _'YOU BETTER NOT HAVE DONE WHAT I THINK YOU DID!'_ she screamed at him through telepathy. _'I'LL KICK YOUR ASS CAT BOY!'_

Loke just started laughing, giving her no indication to what he meant.

The train finally made it to the station. Everyone was crowded together near the ticket section talking amongst themselves. Virgo had gone to the other carriage and offered Levy, Gajeel and Juvia tokens from her house, to protect them too.

Erza, who had the still motion sick Natsu, thrown over her shoulder, stood at the front of the crowd.

"Listen up everyone! I need my team, Gajeel and Levy to come with me. The rest of you should roam about until we can figure out what kind of Lacroma we're dealing with."

She threw Natsu to the ground without a care in the world.

"Levy, I need you to help us figure out what this is. You did bring that book correct?"

Levy nodded. "Yes ma'am!"

"Good. Gajeel & Natsu, I need the two of you to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and use those noses of yours."

Gajeel nodded, his arms folded while poor Natsu could only give her a thumbs up.

"Gray & Juvia, I need you two to make sure the two different Lacroma don't touch. I don't care what you have to do, just do it. Got it?"

"Yeah yeah..no biggie. Tssh.." Gray replied, nonchalantly.

"Juvia gets to work with Gray-sama! Ahhh!" She scurried over to her "lover" and hooked onto his arm.

" I promise I'll protect you my love!"

"Get off of me!" Gray jumped.

"Now any questions before we head out?" Erza stood tall and proud, she had become even more powerful since Lucy met her, and they were such close friends now. Lucy couldn't help but to smile, she knew Erza was going to play a big role in this mission. She was so lucky to have her on her team.

"No questions? Well alright! Loke, Lucy, show us the way!"

Loke nodded to the group, "Stay on your toes, and remember to look out for the Blue Pegasus members, They may be under Ashton's control..." He lead the way with Lucy, "Be careful everyone... And listen for hissing..." He added.

He glanced back at the group, they all made such a good team.

The path began to widen, different routes sprawled out before their eyes, they stood at a crossroads in the forest, Blue Lacroma sparkles in the dirt, causing the tree's to be enormous! The faint scent of parfume wafted in the air, invading the keen dragon slayer noses.

Loke's gaze followed a road, he edged towards it and turned to them. "I think its worth splitting up here? We can cover more ground this way."

"That's a good idea, Loke." Erza agreed.

"Yeah! I can smells that creeps parfume..eck!" Natsu said, his face still a bit pale.

Gajeel stepped forward. "So can I, and I don't like the feeling I'm getting from it..."

Lucy stood next to Loke, her hand on her whip, ready for action at any moment.

"Natsu, you can come with us to help track down Ichiya. Gajeel can stay with Levy while she tries to figure out what kind of Lacroma these are. Ezra, Gray, & Juvia, you three should go search for anymore clues to help us figure out how to stop this."

Lucy folded her arms, her hip out to side, and had a big grin on her face. She had never teamed anyone up before, so she felt powerful...and just a bit too conceded.

"Heh...just call me master."

"Yeah right Luce! You master? Happy has a better chance of being master than you!" Natsu pointed at Lucy, laughing hysterically with happy following his actions.

"Watch it flame brain! Remember my Lucy kick from the other day?"

He quickly cowered down, giving her a salty look. "Jeez I was just kidding... Why so mean?"

"Aye.." Happy rested on his head.

"Alright people let's head out! We can't be wasting precious daylight!"

Loke turned to Lucy and grinned, before raising an eyebrow at the Salamander.

"No funny business, Natsu." He joked. He tilted his head, hands smugly sat in his pockets. The lion turned to the road.

"Let's go." He pushed his shades up, keeping a very close eye on the path. His lion ears stood boldly on the top of his head today, he was looking sharp and very determined.

His pace of walking was fast, like he knew exactly where he was going. Lucy followed behind him.

"Lucy, Whatever happens today, I promise I will always be there when you need me the most, no matter what happens, I'll always come back for you..."

Lucy blushed softly at his kind words. His charm was so addicting. "Thank you Loke.."

"Ughh can you two NOT be all sweet. It's kinda sickening." Natsu made a sour face, his hands behind his head, trying to keep up with the two. Happy was just sniggering on his shoulder.

"And slow down I still feel a bit I-" Natsu stopped.

Loke was looking at the ground, when all of a sudden there was a rustling noise. Three warped looking bandits jumped out in front of them all.

"Also remember I used my magic to get here, Lucy. Your other spirits are ready and waiting to fight for you." He quickly added.

He clenched his fist at the bandits, Regulus taking over his body from the plain gold ring.

The others continued on with their searches, not yet encountering any problems…

As the bandits jumped out, Lucy readied her whip. She dug her heals into the ground, standing back to back with Loke.

"This should be easy.." She snapped her whip, glancing once more at Loke, smiling at his battle face. It sure was sexy.

Natsu quickly recovered, his fist now engulfed with flames,and a wicked smile formed on his face. "I'm fired up now!"

Loke's shades glinted in the light of his Regulus, he had a smug grin on his face. The 3 bandits went for each of them with spears which were shrouded in black mist. The smell from the mist was intoxicating.

Loke stretched one arm out, clamping the other over it into a stance. He was calm and collected, with a little smile on his face. He slowly raised his gaze at the bandit as the spear head inched away from him. He was in perfect ass kicking range. Suddenly a gold magic circle formed in front of his arms.

"Regulus Blast!" The circle erupted with energy and shot him through and out the forest, leaving a indent in the dirt which was smoking.

He turned to Natsu and Lucy as they were fighting the bandits. These bandits were just grunts, it seemed their enemy was testing them…

Natsu lunged forward, one fist drawn back. "Common, give me all you got!"

The bandit ducked just as Natsu was about to deck him. "Damn it!" He swung around, this time catching the bandit in the back of the head, sending him flying through the air with a fistful of fire.

"Yawn ..boring.."

Lucy had a plan. She charged after him, his spear headed right for her stomach. And with a moment to spare, Lucy slid to the left, swung her whip around, and grabbed ahold of the spear and pulled it from the bandits grasp. She tossed it to the side.

Lucy lost focus for a moment, her feet swept out from underneath her. Luckily , she caught herself, shooting her leg up and Lucy kicking the bandit across the face. She quickly landed back on her feet, resting her hands on her hips. She was NOT going to have a repeat of last time. She kicked his head to make sure he was unconscious.

Loke smiled at Lucy, "Nice Kick, Lucy!"

"You too Loke!" Lucy beamed, placing her whip back on her side.

The ruby's on his ring glowed faintly on her thumb.

Regulus was a curious ability. It upped the users endurance, stamina and power, allowing them to hit hard, fast and a lot of times. Not bad for ring magic. Loke wondered if Lucy could sense it within her. It was warming and a powerful feeling, that Loke was used to.

His gaze lifted, as the bandit Natsu punched into the sky was falling. Loke sidestepped, allowing the bandit to landing a lump on the ground in front of him.

"Also nice work Salamander... He's going to feel that tomorrow."

She gazed up seeing the bandit Natsu fought, fall down and hit the ground. "Oooo that's gotta hurt!"

"Thanks man!" Natsu smiled brightly, feeling victorious. Happy flew around praising him. "I'm hungrrrrryyy! Do we have any fish to celebrate?" Happy whined and swooped down to Loke. "You're a cat! You must have some fish...Right?!"

Loke laughed at Happy, "Do I look like the kind of guy that carries a fish around with me?" He grinned, "Don't worry, I am sure we'll have plenty to eat when this is over with."

He chuckled. "Let's get out of here." He lead them down the path,

"Do you smell Ichiya yet? Or anything else?" He slyly glanced at the Salamander, then to Lucy who was innocently following along behind the two men.

As they continued their search for Ichiya, Natsu stopped, looked around.

"Follow me!" He darted up a hill , running full speed, fire flying off his legs. "His scent is growing stronger!" Natsu yelled.

Loke and Lucy ran behind him. "I sure picked a bad day to wear flats...errrgh!"

The hill seemed to grow steeper as they marched forward. Lucy took one wrong step. The rock she used to help her balance herself tumbled down the hill. She fell backwards, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. "Oh shit!"

As they ran up the hill, Loke's eyes snapped at Lucy, he darted across to catch her, only just grabbing her in his arms. The weight of both of them caused the ground under them to slip.

"Oh crap..." Loke looked down at his dirt covered shoe's losing grip.

 _VVOOOSHH!_

The dirt gave way, taking them both down in a landslide, leaving Natsu and Happy to run up the hill, not even realizing they were no longer being followed.

Loke held Lucy in his arms as he lay on his back looking up at the sky. He let out a groan as the dirt stopped moving around them. "Urgh... You okay?" He said, a bit dazed.

Lucy held onto Loke as they tumbled down the hill. She had lost her shoes on the way down, her shirt was ripped enough to show her lacy pink bra.

"Yeah I'm fine. Are you okay?" Lucy looked down at him, wiping some dirt from his face, kissing his cheek. "Sorry about that. I just can't help myself from falling when I'm around you."

Loke smirked at her on top of him. His arms held her closely to him. "I'm much better now..." He laughed softly, being slightly winded from landing on his back. He pushed himself up, gently moved the hair out of her eyes (and picking some dirt off her face) and placed a gentle kiss onto her lips. Lucy returned the kiss.

"I know the feeling. " He replied to her falling comment. He rested his head on hers for a moment, before hearing a branch snap.

His hand quickly curled in the dirt, his head followed the noise hearing a faint sound..

 _Hissssssssssss._

The lion went pale.


	12. Chapter 12: Snake Bites

**[ Writers Note: Some of you have asked where the Jerza is. It's coming. Come on, its Nirvana! :) All will be explained.]**

 **Chapter Twelve - Snake bites.**

This forest was deep, and rich with life. Tall menacing trees loomed over the roads and thick vines and roots blocked a lot of the roads. However most of the guild members had managed to make it by safely for now.

Natsu & Happy continued up the hill without Loke and Lucy. He hadn't noticed they were gone, they were close to the parfume source. Erza and the others had all made their way deep into the forest, and were now fairly far from Lucy, Loke, Natsu & Happy.

Having recently separated from the group due to a landslide, Loke and Lucy have found themselves in deeper trouble than they had first imagined.

 _Hissssssss_

"Loke..." It couldn't be her. Could it?" Lucy stood her ground over Loke, as a beautiful women appeared from the forest. Lucy's heart sank to her stomach. It must have been her….

Lilith was more viper than snake. Her piercing green eyes and long flowing green and dark purple hair was breathtaking. Her slender body swayed as she walked, and her sharp long boots tore up the dirt. She had quite the bust, which her rather skimpy clothes exaggerated completely. She had this whole green, purple and black colour scheme going on too.

 _'So much for scaly skin..'_ Lucy thought before looking back down at Loke who had a worried look on his face. ' _But she shouldn't be able to see us, right?'_ Wrong.

Lilith spoke with a wicked tone.

"Hello dearessst friend." Her lips curled into a smirk as she stared down at Leo with her piercing snake like eyes.

It was like she hadn't acknowledged Lucy at all after that. Loke stood back up off the ground.

"What brings the great _Loki_ to my land..." She hissed.

Loke now walked in front of Lucy, blocking the view from Lilith. Lilith could see him. Despite the block on her seeing Zodiacs.

The Leo symbol on his ring which rested on Lucy's thumb was glowing brightly. The lions plan was working. His ring was protecting Lucy from being seen. That block should save her and her friends from the viper's venom. However, it left Loke out in the open and exposed to her.

 _'Lucy... You should get out of here...Now...'_ His voice echoed in Lucy's mind through his key.

He grit his teeth, staring the woman down.

"Don't call me that name, you address me as Leo." He scowled at her, putting her down a rank.

"Ssshheheheh... Now, now _'Loki',_ I call you what I want. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have that nickname in the spirit world. Ssshheh.. _Master of Trickery_... Don't you remember all the fuuun we had together? Causing trouble and playing pranks? You're no fun nooow."

She gave off a sinister laugh.

Loke tilted his head back, looking at Lucy, _'Lucy... you need to leave... Please... She can't see you, make sure she doesn't see you and the others...'_

Taurus and Capricorn had since appeared behind Lucy defensively. They knew the danger of Lilith first hand.

Lilith couldn't see them either...

Leo looked back at the viper and raised an eyebrow.

"You have no right to speak to me with that tone, Lilith. You're a liar and a murderer. You've been banished and should no longer associate yourself as my equal." He growled. He really didn't want to show this formal boring side to Lucy, but the time called for it. He had to stall for time whilst Lucy got away.

He clenched his fist behind his back, which still had dirt in it, before slipping his hands into his pockets casually.

"A murderer? You're one to talk. I've heard about Karen Lillica-"

He butted in, "That is none of your concern!"

There was fire between the two, Loke was tense and angry, Lilith's voice was venomous to his ears.

Taurus and Capricorn took Lucy's arms protectively. _' He's right Lucy... We need to leave before it gets dangerous'_

Capricorns voice appeared in her head.

' _We need to Moooooove'_ Taurus replied.

Lucy couldn't take her eyes off Lilith. She was so elegant, yet so vicious. Her brain told her to run, but her heart said no.

' _Loke I'm not leaving you!'_ She bit her lip. Taurus and Capricorn appeared at her side. She knew they'd try to make her leave. Lucy couldn't! She just couldn't leave Loke.

Her two spirits insisted, and of course she refused. ' _I'm not leaving! You can forget it. I'm not going to run away from a fight!'_

Although she was speaking through telepathy, her voice was shaky. ' _Don't do this alone, Loke...'_

' _It hurts me to do this, Lucy... I'm sorry... But if she uses her venom on you, it will kill you. Either way, what did I promise you about 30 minutes ago...'_ His voice in her head echoed.

He turned around to her, giving her a look of desperation for her to leave. "Please..." He muttered out loud, looking at Taurus and Capricorn.

They gave the Zodiac leader a stern look in return and nodded, their friend had given his ring to prove his loyalty in the utmost way possible. He was protecting her, the best way he could. The lion failed to mention that Lilith's magic stopping venom was the reason the council member died. It forced him down to Earth land, and ripped him of his power. If it could kill a spirit, he could only imagine the torment it would do to a human.

He gritted his teeth, "Get her out of here!"

Taurus and Capricorn grabbed a hold of her, picked her up and ran.

"We're sorry miss Lucy! But this time he's right, we are here to protect you, not your pride." Capricorn said, running.

"Moove faster! The lion and the serpent are fabled to fight it out eventually..." The bull said in a panicky state as he held Lucy's legs, trying to avert his eyes..

They managed to keep a good grip on her as she struggled, her view could still see where Loke stood, gradually getting smaller and smaller, as they started back up the hill.

Lucy struggled as her spirits took off with her. "Let me go damn it! I'm not leaving him behind!" She thrashed around, using all her strength to try and break free. It was no use.

"Loke..please...please don't die .." Her eyes were glued on him, her lion growing further away. This saddened Lucy, her stomach knotted up. Something bad was going to happen, she could feel it.

Lucy couldn't see her lion anymore. She stared blankly at the ground as her spirits continued to run, finally making it to the top of the hill.

"Miss Luuuuucy we're sorry, but we had no other choice." Their grip on Lucy wasn't as tight anymore. she jerked away, her head hanging down.

"How could you...?" She turned around, swallowing hard, clenching her fist. "HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE?! DON'T YOU EVEN CARE?!" her voice was harsh.

Meanwhile, Lilith had formed into a scaled half snake, half female demonic looking monster behind him. Now she truly did have scaly skin.

"How dare you turn your back to me, Lion." She hissed, venomously. Two large snakes rose from her back. This was the monster beneath her flesh, the one Loke didn't want Lucy to see.

The lion turned back to her, pushing his shades up with his finger,

"I wasn't talking to you..." His golden eyes locked onto her poisonous emerald eyes for a second.

The serpents from her back suddenly struck him through the shoulders, forcefully pushing him back. Loke's toes curled in pain as their form shifted to become two large black lacroma, they oozed from the top, slowing moving down to his wounds. Before long, it will paralyze him.

"Argh... Damnit..." He staggered towards her, before dropping to his knees in front of her.

She phased back to her womanly form and tilted his head up with her sharp, black painted finger nails.

He stayed quiet, unable to activate his magic at all, unable to close his gate. Lilith had him where she wanted him.

"T-tell me... " He writhed in pain, "Are you the one .. Controlling Blue Pegasus? "

She leaned into his face, running her forked tongue up his neck to his ear, if he could move he would have shuddered in horror.

"Yesssss- they are my little army for poor, stupid Asssshton. Taking their minds was easssssy."

She bit into his neck, piercing the skin and sunk her fangs into him.

Loke groaned, her magic cancelling venom was like fire in his veins. It hurt a lot.

"Doesn't Ashton know... You were one of Karen's spirits once?" He closed his eyes tightly, his breathing was staggered.

She laughed back at him,

"That little rat was so in love with her, he didn't take any notice of her spirits... That is until you killed her. Hmph... Prince Leo, parading over all the other spirits with his heroic acts, leaving me with no hope of ever getting a shot at being a Zodiac because you get yourself banished! I had to take some action to get the ball rolling in my direction."

She spat at him, causing him to wince.

"But look at you now... Nothing but a helpless little Tom cat with no power. I'm going to control you to lead a rebellion on the spirit king...Take over your body and power and rise to the top where I ssshould be...With Nirvana and you under our control, we will be unstoppable."

It was quite clear, she was insane.

"I'll just need to get rid of your precious human. Don't think I didn't hear her talking earlier Loki. I may not be able to see her, but I am not deaf! Such a fragile girl, I'll constrict all the life out of her." She bit harder into his neck.

Loke squirmed in pain, his hand only barely moving out of his pocket, pulling out the blue lacroma he picked up from the dirt.

"I-I won't let you, Lilith... I made the spirit king a promise... To p-protect her with m-my life...I will stop you.." His voice was choked up, as the teeth were embedded deeply in his neck.

He closed his eyes and forced his palm up to his shoulder, pressing the blue lacroma onto the long black one that pierced his arms. It took all the energy and will power he had to push past the pain.

 _Ting!_

The terrible boom and crackle that echoed over the forest was menacing.

The blast caused a sonic boom that shook the entire forest, birds quickly flew out of the trees and black and blue smoke rose from the air...

"Lucy…" Capricorn rested his hand on her shoulder, "We do care, but he ordered us to get you out of there. I'm sor-"

A loud boom echoed through the forest. Trees toppled over, crashing to the ground. Everything was in slow motion now.

Lucy's heart burst when she looked down the hill, the explosion coming from where Loke was.

"No..please no.." She looked down at the ring her gave her. The glow around it dimmed. She couldn't feel him anymore.

Before Lucy could rocket down the hill, someone grabbed her arm.

"Go back! Go back! Go back!" Taurus and Capricorn vanished, but the grip on her arm didn't.

"Lucy..." It was Natsu. She was so thankful to see him.

"Natsu we have to help Loke. Please!" She begged him, her eyes filling with tears.

He could see the hurt, anger, passion, and most of all fear in his friend's eyes. The Salamander nodded, swooping Lucy up into his arms and launching into the air with Happy on his back.

They hit the ground not to far from where Loke was. There was a small indent in the ground from Natsu's landing.

Lucy's eyes were closed. She still couldn't feel Loke. Natsu set Lucy on her feet, both of them skimming the area. Dirt was still scrambling through the air, stinging Lucy's eyes.

"Aahh shit." Trees fell over each other. There was a huge crater in the ground, probably from the explosion.

"Loke..." The dust began to settle, allowing her to peer down into the hole. There wasn't anything except tree branches and dust. Without thinking, Lucy slid down the bank, her feet burning from rubbing against pebbles and twigs, but it didn't seem to phase her. The only thing on her mind was to find Loke.

"Natsu help me!"

Lucy picked up branches, and threw them to the side furiously. Natsu proceeded to help, picking up a tree trunk and throwing it out of the way. A pair of shades was all Lucy found.

She reached down, picking up the bent glasses, her body was shaking as she dropped to her knees, clawing at the dirt.

"H-Hes gotta be here Natsu. He's not gone, he's strong. Right Natsu? RIGHT?!" he bent down next to her, his head held low as he handed her a blood stained and scorched tie.

"Lucy..I'm sorry..."

She stared at the tie in horror, anchoring her head back to see her guild members staring down at her from atop with saddened looks.

"No..no..HE'S ALIVE!" she panicked, digging deeper through the dirt, tears streaming down her face.

"He promised he wouldn't go. He promised!" Natsu grabbed her from behind restraining her.

"Lucy stop!" She tried to push him away, wanting to search for him some more. She needed hope.

"Let me go you idiot! I have to find him!"

"Lucy! Loke isn't with us anymore! He's gone!" Natsu was struggling to hold her back.

She stopped, choking on his words.

"What the hell did I do to deserve this?!" Lucy collapsed into Natsu's arms. He held her, tears also streaming down his face. Everyone was crying. This happened too quickly, and they hurt for Lucy. They knew she was hurting worse than they were. Lucy's chest heaved. Anger built up inside of her.

"That...bitch..." She growled.


	13. Chapter 13: Black & Blue

**Chapter Thirteen - Blue & Black**

Its a curious thing, Love.

They say, love makes you do crazy things. It makes you do things on impulse, without thinking. Once someone touches your heart so deeply, the footprints will stay forever. Ever since her first encounter with the assumed womaniser named Loke, Lucy Heartfilia was always attracted to him. Sure he was a playboy, and even sometimes annoying and a bit of a pervert, but there was a side to him that she absolutely adored. A side that only she knew.

The moment you feel the strings holding your love all together, begin to fray, do you realise how powerful your emotions really are. You can't sleep because when you're with the one you love, reality is better than your dreams.

Lucy had never loved someone like this before, but now he was gone...

Lucy rose to her feet, her eyes red and puffy. She quietly walked back up the hill, everyone had their eyes on her.

She stood in front of Levy and talked to the ground.

"Were you able to figure out what kind of Lacroma we're dealing with?" Lucy said with a dull, colourless tone.

Levy stared at her blankly. She knew her friend was in pain.

"Uhm yes...It seems the darker one is a Lacroma of Zeref, and the lighter one is of Mavis, that's why they-"

Lucy brushed past Levy, that was all she needed to hear. She bent down, picking up a large light Lacroma, and without hesitation, drove it right into arm.

"Aaaghh!" It was painful, and she didn't know how it would affect her, but she didn't even care. It had to make her powerful. She was tired of being weak. If she was stronger she could have saved Loke. Lucy was sick of losing everyone she loved.

Gray tried to stop her as she pushed it in deeper, she could already feel her power growing stronger.

"Lucy what the hell are you doing?!" asked the ice mage, frantically.

"I couldn't save him...So now...aggghh..I have to...ngggh...fight for him." A light aura grew around Lucy as the Lacroma set it all the way.

"I figured if the dark Lacroma caused people to be like Zeref...then this one would give me strength like Mavis."

She turned to her guild mates, tears still welled up in her eyes. "I made him a promise, and I'm not giving up."

Erza stepped forward amazed by the power that was coming off of Lucy.

"How is it already working? Shouldn't the zeref Lacroma have affected you?"

"It wasn't as deep...so I made sure this one was..."

The light grew brighter, blinding everyone. Lucy spoke once more.

"I have to do this on my own, for him.." Then Lucy was gone. She had vanished right before their eyes.

Lucy traveled through some kind if other world. Everything was peaceful. Cherry blossoms fluttered around her. A soft voice spoke to her.

"To use these powers you mustn't use them out of hate, nor will you be able to kill."

"Mavis?" Lucy floated through the dimension, the voice echoed from all around her. "Be careful Lucy, for the sake of your friends, and your _spirit,_ Leo."

She ended up in front of a large building in the woods, miles and miles away from her friends. Her attire was different. She wore a pearl white corset that had a golden ruffle trim around the top.

The bottom flowed out into a golden ruffled skirt that match her trim. Long white elbow length gloves covered her arms, ruby red buckled flats, and cloud white thigh high leggings. She looked like she hadn't fallen down that hill, or stabbed herself with Lacroma. Her body was completely healed and she felt better than she ever had.

Lucy glanced down at Loke's ring. It was dull, lifeless, and she still didn't feel him. He was gone wasn't he? The light aura still surrounded her. Lucy strolled to the building doors and pushed them open gracefully.

Ashton sat in a large throne, to match his tryanic ego. But that isn't what caught Lucy's eyes. Lilith was perched on the arm of the throne next to him. How was she not destroyed by the blast? They raised their eyes to Lucy who casually walked towards them, calm as can be.

"Ashton...Lilith.." She said, bluntly.

Ashton rose to his feet, Lilith followed, both had a devilish grin on their face.

"Well well well. That wassss mighty quick." Lilith hissed at Lucy, walking down the steps, her eyes glowing. "I ssssee you've come to avenge the death of you lover..." Her lips curled into a deadly smirk.

"It's not revenge, it's me keeping a promise to myself." Lucy's aura grew stronger, causing Lilith to hesitant for a moment.

"Come on Medusa, let's go." She stood her ground, one foot behind the other. Ready for Lilith to strike.

Ashton put his hand out, stopping Lilith. "Don't waste your strength my love." His voice had a sour tone to it.

She glanced at him and nodded.

Ashton stood up, a dark aura surrounding his hands.

"Rise."

Out of the ground, 4 large decaying bodies dug themselves out and groaned at Lucy. They had battered Armour and staffs in their bony hands.

"Let's have some fun first... Get her."

The draugs went for Lucy all at once, frothing at their half rotten mouths. Ashton sat back down with Lilith, watching the fight from his throne.

There was a black toga around Lilith, she had reverted back to a more scaled form. Was she concealing an injury? In fact her neck was covered too. The reality of the matter was that she was a banished spirit, unable to heal by simply going back to the spirit world, she had to live off her remaining life force.

Loke had done more to Lilith than met the eye. She gripped the edge of the seat angrily, her hands shaking.

Lilith's eyes narrowed, the snake glared at Lucy, with hatred. She gritted her fangs remembering exactly what Loke did to her.

The explosion tore them both apart, the tree branches and shards of lacroma impaled her perfect body, her neck was shredded and her flesh was burned off.

The human form of Lilith was nothing but a severed mess. Ashton luckily dragged her out of there and was keeping his new love alive like some sick puppet.

As she was being dragged away, she looked at what was left of the lion.

He clung to life like a desperate kitten. His vision was hazed by blood and pain, but he kept glaring at her angrily. Things were starting to go dark. He couldn't move.

"WOOL BOMB!" A blast of pink magic struck Lilith in the face out of no where. The little lamb stood over Loke, shaking her little legs angrily. Time to repay the favor.

"Aries!?" She managed to spit, causing blood to exit her lips at the same time. She couldn't see anything, Ashton turned and cleared the magic out the way but by that time both Aries and Leo were gone, leaving only his shades and tie on the ground.

Lucy quickly dodged out of the way of a draug, and glared up at Ashton and Lilith.

"Your love? How interesting...and I thought you were in love with Karen." Lucy growled.

This triggered a sore spot for Ashton. He raised his hand, sending a blast of black magic towards Lucy, knocking her down as the draugs grew closer.

"You keep her name out of your mouth, Bitch!" Ashton let out a evil laugh as he walked down the steps below the throne.

Lucy stood back up, surprisingly unharmed.

"If my former lover was still alive, then so would your beloved lion.." Ashton growled.

"You don't know what you're talking about Ashton! It wasn't Loke's fault!" She leaped into the air as the decaying bodies clashed into each other. Lucy landed on her feet, astonished by her powers. She had never done anything like that before.

Two of the draugs were struggling to get back up, while the other two hobbled towards Lucy. She quickly reacted, grabbing her whip and slinging it around one of their necks, throwing it past Ashton and Lilith, and into a wall. The other came close to grabbing her, but Lucy swooped down, sliding her leg across the ground and knocked it's let's out from underneath itself.

"RISE!" 6 more draugs rose from the ground. 8 of them now surrounding Lucy.

Meanwhile, Natsu and the others were sprinting through the woods in search for where Lucy might be. "Damn it! Where could she be?" He grit his teeth, thinking to himself. _'If I wasn't such an idiot this wouldn't have happened! I should have made sure they were behind me!'_

Erza was ahead of everyone with Natsu. "What happened with trying to find Ichyia?" She pushed forward, worried about her friend.

"I left them behind without knowing and kept going until I heard the blast. This is all my fault."

"NATSU! Don't say that. You didn't kno-"

"Yes it is! If I would have been with them this wouldn't have happened!" Natsu stopped, his feet skidding across the ground. "Wait..." Everyone halted. "That smell.. Its..-"

"MEEEEEEENNN!" Ichiya jumped down from the tree tops, wearing an all black suit, which was definitely a bad sign. Hibiki followed behind him, also wearing an all black suit.

"Ichiya? Hibiki?" Erza knew something was different about them. They were definitely affected by the Zeref Lacroma.

"What a surprise! It's been way too long...the smell of your parfume is…" He narrowed his eyes and gave her a devilish smile, "Delicious..."

Erza sighed deeply. Although she couldn't stand the creep, she still cared.

"REEQUIP! HEAVENS WHEEL ARMOR!"

"I'm going to hate having to destroy such a beautiful young girl like you."

She stared at him. It nearly broke her heart the way he looked at her. It was the same way Jellal had looked at her during the tower of heaven.

"Natsu! Go find Lucy! The rest of us will stay and fight."

"I can't just leave yo-"

"NOW NATSU!" she gave him a mother like stare.

He nodded, and headed off, following the faint smell of Lucy.

Gajeel leaped next to Erza, his fist already large iron pillars.

"These two seem extremely powerful." He spat, standing in a battle ready stance.

"I know, that's why I need you all. This isn't going to be easy." The two shared a look before rocketing into battle.

Lucy staggered backwards as one of the draugs pulled her down.

She elbowed it, it's jaw flew off as she barely escaped. "You got to be kidding me?" There were at least 12 of these freaks now. Lucy didn't know what to do. She didn't know what kind of powers she was given by Mavis's Lacroma.

 _'Stupid me! Acting before thinking!'_ Lucy realized she was in some deep shit, but she couldn't give up. She knew Loke wouldn't approve of her giving up, including this easily. This had only just begun.

Back in the forest, Erza shot up into the air. "REEQUIP! LIGHTENING EMPRESS ARMOR!"

Ichiya pulled out a tube of his perfume magic.

"Take a wiff of my sleep parfume!" The magic floated across the guild members, only knocking out Levy.

"Shrimp!" Gajeel whipped around and grabbed onto her before she hit the ground. "You'll pay for that you creep!"

But before he could do anything, Erza made a move. "Just keep her safe Gajeel!"

She shot down bolts of lightening that headed straight for Ichya. "Master!" Hibiki dove across and knocked him out of the way, taking the strike.

"I got this!" Gray, who earlier, had inhaled some of Ichiya's "endless pain" perfume, clasped his hands together. Though he was in pain, he wouldn't give up.

"Ice make prison!" A ice cage fell over Ichyia and Hibiki.

"Alright! Ngghh.." He fell to his knees from pain, and his magic running low. Juvia, of course, rushed to his aid. "Are you okay my beloved?"

"Yeah, nnggh, I'll be okay.." He hobbled to his feet, shooting a glance up at Erza.

"What the...What is it Erza?"

She had a bad feeling in her gut. A great amount of black magic energy was rapidly rising in the distance.

"Not again..." Erza looked down at her guild mates.

"Gajeel, make sure these two don't escape, Juvia, keep an eye on Gray and Levy. Protect your family!"

They nodded as she returned to the ground, running off into the distance.

 _'I should have remembered!'_ She thought back to when they first dealt with Nirvana. _'Anyone with a negative mind set can be effected by it and turned from good to bad, or vice versa.'_ She pushed harder, that power she felt was the same feeling she had during Nirvana, and Natsu had blamed himself for what happened to Loke and Lucy. She had to get to him before Nirvana was resurrected!

Lucy had done pretty well without her spirits for a short period, but she couldn't last much longer without them.

She reached for her keys, only to realize they weren't there anymore.

"What the?"

Lilith raised her arm, dangling Lucy's keys in her hands.

"Looking for thessssse blondie?" She jingled them, laughing hysterically.

' _Damn, I don't know how much longer I can last.'_ Lucy wasn't used to this new power, so she didn't know how to make it last. She skidded against the ground, hitting the wall behind her.

"Oooft!" Ashton ordered 8 more draugs to rise, this time, these were much bigger. Where were they all coming from!?

"Just my luck..." They charged at Lucy. She tried to get up, but she couldn't.

"Nggh, come on!"

All of a sudden, the ground gave out underneath her, Lucy fell into the hole. Someone caught her as she almost hit the ground.

"Mmm?"

It was Virgo. "Virgo what are you doing here?!" She had the same emotionless face, and looked down at Lucy.

"Are you okay princess? I made a hole in the ground to save you. Would you like to punish me now?"

"Uhh yea-...no thanks. I'm fine."

"Princess, we must get you out of here, you need to build your strength back up."

"What?! No I can't leave." Lucy protested.

"I'll be taking you to Leo now." The maid said, calmly.


	14. Chapter 14: The King of the Sky

**Chapter Forteen - The King of the Sky.**

 _Back In the celestial world..._

The white marble floor on which Loke was sprawled out across, was ice cold to his skin and damp - Wait damp?

The lion managed to open his eyes to see he was in a small pool of his own blood. All over his body burned with pain. It really was unsettling. However, he staggered a pained laugh, groaned and rolled onto his back, feeling victorious that he somehow managed to survive.

"Aaha...Wha- "

He saw the huge mustached face glaring down at him. The lion blinked and shut up, gulping down a mouthful of blood and dirt. _Gross_. It made his stomach churn.

"Leo, The Lion. Do you know why you are here before me?" The spirit kings voice boomed through the halls, causing Aries to tremble in fear as she sat beside him.

Loke attempted to speak but choked instead. The pain was almost unbearable.

The spirit king rolled his eyes and raised his hand and shot Loke with some light magic, fixing him to a state where he could talk. He wasn't perfect, but wasn't making a mess on his floor anymore.

The lion pushed himself so he was sitting up, and looked at the King. He rubbed his shoulders were he was stabbed, groaning.

"Hm... Probably something to do with Snake bitch, right?" He wasn't in the mood to be sitting around on his ass, waiting. He wanted to be back with Lucy, back with Fairy Tail.

The king didn't look too amused with Loke's response either.

"Sorry, I meant Lilith the Snake..." Loke finally added, unwillingly.

The king nodded, "You are being charged with attempted murder of the spirit- "

"-She was as good as dead when she murdered your associate in the council…" Loke said through gritted teeth. Lilith's name alone made him angry.

"She was banished, what does it matter? She is threatening the human world and our world with Nirvana!"

He growled up at him.

"Lilith was still bound by celestial law and you-"

The king stopped, "Did you say Nivana?"

He knelt to Leo, before looking at Aries.

"This is why you saved your friend? Dragging him through your gate is also not allowed in usual circumstances..."

The little lamb nodded timidly. "He was protecting Lucy with his life, just like you requested of him... Why is that a crime, S-sir?"

The king stood back up,

"Hmmm... It brings me great sadness when I hear of a star wanting to blacken the sky, rather than light it up. It seems some stars are not meant to shine after all... Leo the Lion, I will remove all charges... But, you and your human girl must stop Nirvana from being revived _anyway_ possible...Even if that means taking Lilith down as well..." His voice boomed.

The room lit up as the king vanished, Loke was alone with Aries.

"S-sorry Leo, I didn't think he'd charge you... You need to heal up..." She rolled out the bandages once more, and started fixing him up.

"Thanks Aries...I appreciate you coming to save me. I hope Lucy isn't mad at me for my sudden exit..."

He looked up at the sky, wondering what she was doing. His power hadn't fully returned yet, so couldn't hear her through his key. The light in Lucy's ring was dull, but it still remained.

Leo was taken back to his home to recover his strength.

Lucy's eyes widened when Virgo spoke to her.

"Wait...he's still...alive?" She could feel her chest pounding with excitement.

"Why yes, he is immortal after all? Just look at your ring..."

Lucy lifted her hand up in front of her face. It was still dull, but there was a faint glow around it.

"B-But I thought he got blown to pieces!" Millions of different feeling ran through Lucy. Relief, Happiness, Shocked, Confused, Stupid (for not remembering he was immortal..)

"I'll let him explain everything when we get there."

"But I thought I wasn't allowed in the spirit world?"

"King's orders!"

And just like that, they both vanished from the hole.

They appeared in a large exquisite room. A large, and I do mean large, A throne sat above a marble staircase. It looked like it was big enough for a titian!

"That must be stash faces throne huh?"

"Why yes, he should be here any moment."

Lucy was nervous, although she had dealt with him before, she had never been called forth.

Meanwhile, Erza was quickly catching up with Natsu, she saw him far off in the distance, standing next to a tree that was glowing with a dark aura.

"Is that-..No! Natsu!" A cloaked man stood next to the tree.

"No don't!" She saw Natsu dash after the man, but it was too late, the man placed both hands against tree and a giant black pillar of magic erupted up into the sky.

The magic engulfed them, and the force threw Erza back a few hundred feet into a tree. She felt an immense amount of pain shoot up her spine as she hit the ground.

"Natsu...no..." Erza muttered…

The room Lucy stood in with Virgo was magnificent. Golden shields, with the Zodiac symbols engraved into them were resting on the walls, representing each house. They were probably the size of Lucy herself! Below those were many silver shields, representing the rest of the constellations. A few had been removed… Two large doors opened, and out stepped a being, a very tall being. The spirit king looked down at Lucy, nodded his head and proceeded to sit on his throne.

"Miss Lucy Heartfiilia... I've called you here to inform you of one of your spirits crimes. " He crossed his arms.

"Leo the lion was charged with the attempted murder of the Spirit Lilith the snake." He looked at her expression change. He remembered her being feisty the last time they were fighting over Leo.

"-However, due to the circumstances, we have decided to drop all charges on your spirit. His actions were driven by love and the soul purpose to protect his master and fellow spirits from further damage. We have decided that the execution of the snake known as Lilith is for the good of the stars. Nirvana must not rise, Lucy Heartfilia. I hope you understand."

He raised his hand and the room glowed. "I will offer you a gift for my false accusation. Please take this dress. It is named the star dress. I trust you will know what powers it possess when wearing it in battle with your friends." The dress appeared in her hands.

Lucy almost had a heart attack when the spirit king said Loke was charged with attempted murder, but luckily the charges were dropped. She accepted the dress and thanked him with a huge smile and a thumbs up. "Thanks stash face!"

"Virgo, Take her to the house of Leo."

Virgo nodded, "Yes Sir."

She held onto Lucy and light around them changed as they were transported across the celestial world to the front doors of a glorious mansion.

There were lion statues in the courtyard - This house was different than the one they were at before. This was bigger, a lot more majestic. One lion statue stood out in the courtyard above the rest. A lion triumphing over a huge serpent and other creatures, It was magnificent.

"I leave you here Miss. The other Leo's are not here currently, they have allowed Loke full access to his star's light, in order to heal quickly. Go and see him." She then quickly bowed and vanished.

Lucy's lion was waiting in the large hall, straight up from the doorway, sat in a large golden throne. He had a long red fluffy, royal looking robe on, no shirt but was covered in bandages from torso to neck. He was resting his head on his fist with a cheesy smile on his lips as he waited for his princess...

Meanwhile, Lilith was waving the keys around on her finger smugly. "My love, where did she go?" Ashton asked, standing up and glancing over the hole.

"Did we kill her?"

Lilith rolled her eyes. "Are you an idiot?"

"W-what?" He looked back at her, surprised at her change in attitude.

"You're slowing Nivana down by playing with your corpses. You are no longer required." Lilith hissed venomously.

She stood up, her snakes coiled around him and bit into his neck. They pulled out the black lacroma and trailed back to her. Ashton dropped to the floor, unconscious for now.

She cackled and walked out of there, towards the source of Nirvana's power.

Erza managed to push herself back up, bracing herself against the tree. She winched in pain as she looked back up. The salamander appeared from the giant pillar, unharmed.

Erza let out a sigh of relief, slightly smiling.

As he grew closer, he didn't speak. Something was different about him, but Erza didn't catch on quick enough.

"Thank goodness you're okay Nat-"

"Shut it, Titiana." He spat. There was a evil harshness to his voice. He now stood in front of her, looking down upon her.

Erza could clearly see him. He now wore a long black trench over his clothes. His scarf was now black as well. There was a darkness in his eyes that terrified Erza.

"No...you can't.."

"Oh I can!" He roared out, proceeding to snatch Erza up by her throat. She gasped for air, helplessly.

He gripped her throat tightly, and slammed her back against the tree and tilted his head with a smug grin on his face.

"Hahaha, poor Titania. So defenseless. That blow really did do some damage to you didn't it?" He leaned in closer, staring into her eyes.

"I could tear you apart right now, but I don't have time for that." He pulled back, letting her go. She dropped to her knees, staring at the ground speechless.

He turned his back towards her, pulling his scarf off.

"Once you've gained full strength, then I shall destroy you." He threw his scarf down next to her and walked away.

"I look forward to our battle Titania. Death will see you in the near future."

Ezra stayed on her knees, picking up his scarf and cradling it like a baby.

"N-No...this can't be happening.." She pushed her face into the scarf, breaking down into uncontrollable tears. "Natsu!"

Lucy gazed up at the amazing structure of the building. It was like nothing she had ever seen. The statue with the lion overpowering the snake really spoke to her. Lucy raised her eyes back to Virgo and thanked her.

She took off up the steps and pushed open the big golden doors before her. Lucy darted inside and skidded to a stop when she saw Loke (in one piece) sitting at a throne in the centre of the hallway. He had one leg over the other, looking rather comfortable. Typical show off.

Her heart sank to her feet.

"LOKE!" She took off again, a big smile spread across her face, and happy tears filled her eyes. He raised his head when he heard her call out his name.

"You idiot!" She cried out and she rushed into his arms.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again! You can't leave me. Not ever!" She buried her face into the crook of his neck, holding onto him for dear life. "I love you way too much to lose you..."

Loke held onto Lucy tightly, his injuries hurt a lot still but the way Lucy held onto him made it feel like it just faded away. He kissed her neck and rested his head on her shoulder as she sat on him, on his throne. Idiot? Scared her?

"Did you think I wasn't going to make it? I made you a promise." He nuzzled her slightly, "I love you too much to leave, Lucy"

He wrapped his robe around her, allowing her to be closer to him. It Sure was cozy in there.

"Sorry for scaring you, She blocked my magic, I couldn't do anything else... If it wasn't for Aries dragging me through her gate, I may not have made it back." He frowned awkwardly at Lucy, laughing a little under his breath.

Lucy gripped Loke's robe. Just his returned embrace eased a lot of tension off her shoulders. As his lips pressed against her neck, she couldn't help but smile brighter.

Those sweet words he spoke soothed Lucy. She didn't think she'd ever see him again, let alone feel him anymore. "I-I definitely owe Aries..."

"I hope you're not mad at me for it all... I couldn't let her do it to you. It's a shame, it was all in vain, the king said she survived. Not sure if she knows if I did though... She can't be feeling too great..." He sniggered darkly.

Lucy sat back, wiping the tears away from her eyes, looking down at him noticing the bandages. "It wasn't in vein Loke..."

"We may have a shot at taking her down... Take her down and the control on the blue Pegasuses members is removed - She is the one doing it. It's definitely worth trying it, we can get them on our side."

He held her tightly in his arms and stood up with her, carrying her. "I may need a bit of light armour though... These bandages are leaving me a bit exposed" He chuckled, walking through the large house, holding her with a grin on his face.

They walked into an armoury. "No one other than those of the house of the lion may walk through these doors..." he said, casually carrying her in.

Majestic armour and old, fierce warrior weapons lined the walls. He walked through to the end of the room. There stood an armour stand with a white, lightweight looking chain mail with gold trim. "Ah, its been a long time old friend." He said to the armour with a pout.

As he picked her up, Lucy nuzzled into him as he carried her into a large room.

"Only the house of the lion? But I'm not...wait...am I?" She stared blankly at him, awaiting his answer. Lucy turned her attention to the white & gold armor. It was spectacular!

Erza stumbled through the woods, holding onto Natsu's scarf. She was weak for now, but her strength was slowly rising back.

There was a rustling noise in the bushes. Erza whipped around to where the noise was coming from.

"Show yourself!" She stood in a battle ready stance as if she wasn't even in pain.

"Erza...Calm down it's just me."

The tall blue haired male appeared out of the thick bushes in the woods. He was wearing a long coat and had his hands in his pockets. This was a man she hadn't seen in a very long time.

"J-Jellal?! What are you doing here?!"

He stopped a few feet in front of her, chuckling softly. "A little birdy told me that you guys would be here, and I could already feel the immense power coming from here. I just didn't expect it to be Nirvana again..."

This both brought back painful tear jerking memories for them. They both kept their composure, straight face and stern like always.

"I'm here to help in anyway I can. It's the least I can do."

Erza felt dizzy, her body just wouldn't stop hurting. It became harder and harder to breathe. She wanted to rest, but knew there was no time.

"If you insist then let's g-" before she could finish Jellal had picked her up into his arms bridal style.

She blushed uncontrollably, holding her breath.

"Rest while you can...Your guild needs you to be 100% to fight." He gave her a half smile, carrying her off on the direction Natsu headed off too.

Back at the tree, A scarred, but cloaked man stepped out of the pillar of magic. He had a wicked grin on his face. He had a burning desire to get his revenge

"Let the fun begin..." he croaked.

Loke put Lucy down gently. He smiled at her, taking the glorious armour off the stand. It was light as a feather, allowing Loke's body to still be agile. He removed his robe, allowing it to drop to the ground.

The lion pulled the armour over his head and corrected it onto his torso. It fitted over the bandages, but still shaped its way around his abs. He grinned at her, putting his robe back on.

"I can't help but break the rules when I am around you Lucy..."

He took her hand, and placed a gentle kiss upon it.

"But maybe you will be part of this house one day..." His charming eyes lifted from her hand, to see the expression on her face.

He chuckled, phasing his shirt around his armour. He tucked it into his trousers then formed the jacket into his hands. His words were calm and sincere. The slender lion put his jacket on, and fixed a new tie into place.

Lucy's face turned red. "Maybe one day.." Even after being almost blow to smithereens, he never lost his charm.

She watched him carefully as he adjusted his armor.

"Is it just me or do you look damn good in anything?!" She poked out her bottom lip and crossed her arms. Loke smiled back at her, laughing.

"You're one to talk." He replied.

"Also if you see anything in here you like, or feel it will benefit you in this fight please feel free to try it out. It would be my honour as a Leo to offer you my relics for your cause, no matter how valuable."

" Really?"

This excited her. She took a look around the room, admiring the armor. One specific set caught her eye. It looked light, yet durable, obviously made for a female. It was bright, almost a blinding gold with violet markings for trim. There was a small Leo symbol down towards the bottom. It would fit perfectly under the star dress she had received from the spirit king.

"Loke, how about this one? "

Loke smirked at her response, he saw her blush vividly. He chuckled under his breath and looked over at the armour she had chosen.

"Oohh, that's a very good choice."

He walked over and took it off the stand carefully.

"Do you know whose armour this was originally?"

He kept that charming grin on his lips as he looked at her.

"This armour belonged to my mother. She's only had to wear it once." He admired it, and offered to help her put it on.

"Your mother's huh?" She tilted her head, grinning. "Well I'm honored to wear this then."

"There was once a great war here, all houses formed alliances and chose sides, luckily those dark days are long behind us...Well most of us." He refereed to Lilith.

"A war? If you don't mind me asking what exactly happened?" This triggered Lucy's interest. Any information that she didn't know about the spirit world was something she craved more knowledge of. Like a kid in a candy store.

"The war? Well... It was over whether we should work with humans... Or take their world as our own..." He frowned. "Most of us, including my house fought to protect the humans, but there were those who disagreed. The power hungry, greedy spirits." He sighed.

"Many great spirits rose and fell and eventually it laid out the keys we have today. 12 Golden Zodiacs and many silver keys, then there are a few black keys…But that's a story for another day!"

"This armour is the Lioness armour. This lightweight chain mail is almost impenetrable. You have a keen eye, Beautiful. We lions like to keep our ladies safe." He chuckled

Loke untied the corset like ties on the back of the armour, and offered it to her. It glimmered like pearls, and was absolutely beautiful. He was surprised she didn't choose a battle crown or something. Her instinct impressed the lion.

Lucy began to untie the laces on her own corset, wondering why her lion hadn't asked about her attire change. _'Hmm perhaps her didn't notice?_ ' She thought, letting the pearl white top loosen. She pulled it off without hesitation and set it aside.

She slid the golden ruffled skirt off without any hesitation whatsoever. Lucy figured he had seen her butt naked before so this wouldn't effect him. Would it?

She shrugged it off and strode over to a large gold trimmed mirror. The frame was a Victorian style, the gold was dim yet still beautiful. She stared at her sad reflection, thinking about how Aquarius was going to react when she found out about Lucy losing her keys... Again!

Loke walked over to her as she looked in the mirror. It fit beautifully. He tied the corset ties at the back gently. What's better is that she was stood in her underwear - In his parents war room. He bit his lip holding back a dirty smirk at the thought of it. He trailed his finger up her side to her jaw, kissed her cheek and looked back into the reflection.

"...Where are your keys?" He tilted his head, his golden eyes rolled down to her hip where they usually sat.

"Uhh... Lilith stole my keys...errr.." She looked down, ashamed to say those dreadful words. "I should have been more careful...I'm so sorry...to all my spirits."

"Lilith took your keys? Hmph, don't worry I'll get them back for you, i always do. She's holding the gateway to your world, won't be hard to find her. " He gave her a determined looking grin.

"I should be more careful with you all...I'm sorry." She looked herself up and down, pushing some hair away from her face. Her thoughts were getting the best of her as she remembered stabbing herself with Lacroma.

Her lion probably wouldn't like that she did that, but she did it out of love right?

She turned back towards him, her arms now crossed over her half exposed chest.

"Loke I did something you probably won't approve of..."

Jellal didn't show it, but he was pretty happy to see Erza again. He carried her off, watching her hold onto his shirt. She was strong, but Jellal made her weak. Weak at the knees. There was quiet for a short while, and a warm breeze flowed through their hair as they walked.

Erza could feel her magic finally come back, and the pain easing away.

"You can put me down now." Her tone was surprisingly calm and not demanding like it usually is.

Jellal didn't listen to her, he just held on tighter.

"Don't think you're getting away that quickly." His lips curled into a smirk.

"You should learn to take it easy every now and then."

He was right, she never took time to just relax...but Natsu and Gray brawling every 5 seconds didn't make it any easier on her.

"Perhaps you're right, but we have work to do. There is no time to be _"relaxing._ " Jellal chuckled, something he rarely does.

"Oh Erza, you really haven't changed."

She attempted to break free from his hold, but he just held on tighter and stopped.

"Please don't ever change." He rested his head on hers for a moment and set her down on her feet, squeezing her once more.

"Let's move, I can feel the dragon slayers energy not to far away." Jellal placed a kiss on her head and walked in front of her.

Her face was flustered. _'Damn that Jellal! I'm suppose to be thinking about how I'm going to stop Natsu... Not you! Arghhh''_ Erza thought as she quickly followed him, grumbling.

"I never planned on changing." She looked over at him and smiled before taking off, leaving him in the dust.

Jellal and Erza continued walking towards the dragon slayer. There was a slight whimpering noise. "...Rghh"

Happy was barely conscious on the ground.

"Happy!?" Erza looked up at the cat.

"What happened!? Did Natsu..." She stared at the cat from Jellal's strong arms.

Erza flew down and scooped up happy into her arms. He looked pretty beat up. Patches of fur gone from being burned.

"Happy...tell me he didn't..."

The little blue exceed peeked one eye open.

"Erza...Natsu tried to kill me..why would he do that?" His voice was whiny and cracked. Tears filled Happy's eyes as he spoke.

"He wouldn't do that... Right?" Erza slowly turned back to Jellal. She looked desperate. Why was this happening? So many questions so little time. Jellal placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find him and he will return back to normal. I promise." She rose back to her feet, cradling Happy. "I know we will, I have no doubts."

Happy whimpered In Erza's arms, "E-Erza... The green haired man... He attacked us...and made Natsu crazy..."

Erza stared down at Happy.

"Green hair?" She thought back and remembered the green haired man who placed his hands on the tree the activate Nirvana.

"What?!" Jellal took Happy into his hands, and looked back at Erza.

"If it's who I think it is, then your friend Lucy is in serious danger now." He stormed off, Happy in his hands and Erza followed behind yet again.

Not to far during their walk did they spot a pink haired Salamander standing next to a green haired man. "Erza...I want you to take Happy and leave..." Jellal narrowed his eyes.

Back in the spirit world, Loke saw Lucy turn to him, the lion tilted his head curiously.

"Something I wouldn't approve of?" He raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

His eyes rolled to the clothes she had on which were now on the floor. _She wasn't wearing those before..._ His gaze returned to meet Lucy's.

"What did you do?" His voice had concern in it.

Lucy's eyes moved to her arm. Though there was no mark of where she stabbed herself she ran her fingers across her skin.

"Levy figured out what the Lacroma were. The dark being that of Zeref and the light being that of Mavis…"

She stiffened up, trying to hold back her tears,

"When I thought I had lost you, I took one of the blue Lacroma and…"

Her voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes

"-I jabbed a large piece of the Lacroma into my arm, without knowing exactly what it would do...but I had a feeling it would make me more powerful, and it did for awhile. I'm still so weak... Even with Mavis powers..."

Loke stared at her in horror for a moment, before collecting his thoughts. He can't get mad at her, especially with what she's gone through. Still, she mourned for him? She really did care.

"...Well then... That explains why Lilith tried to stab me with two black lacroma..."

"She what?!" Lucy was furious. That crazy Snake lady must have some serious issues. Never has Lucy disliked someone so much.

He took her hands and stared down at them.

"The other spirits and I can summon ourselves from your keys... With us at your side, we can do it. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

He wrapped his arms around her, forgetting she was only in the armour and panties and hugged her confidently.

"You are so much stronger than you think you are Lucy." He rested his head on the crook of her neck, his hands on her back. It was a nice moment. He could hear her heart racing.

"I hope you're not planning to do dirty things in the armory young man..."

A soft, angelic voice was heard by the door. There stood a tall, strawberry blonde woman. She was older than Loke, much older, but still looked around her 50's if she was human. Her hair was tied in a golden ribbon, which swayed down the back of her flowing white dress. She had a stern but gentle look on her face, whilst looking over with crossed arms.


	15. Chapter 15: The Lioness

**Chapter Fifthteen - The Lioness**

Lucy melted into Loke's warm, loving embrace. Each time he held her was just like the first. It never got old. Lucy wrapped her arms around him, wanting him closer. "Thank you.. My lov-"

Loke shot back up instantly, and turned in a sudden panic as he recognized the voice that just spoke up. He'd completely lost his cool!

Lucy was about to hoist herself up when the gentle sound of a woman's voice came from the door. She eased her head over towards the voice, completely and utter embarrassed when She strolled over. ' _Perhaps I should learn to dress myself more quickly'_

Loke seemed to be a bit embarrassed himself. He shifted her eyes back to the woman.

"U-Uh.. No! C-clearly there is no time for that... " Loke stuttered, giving the woman a sensible answer.

She grinned at the younger lion and walked into the room.

"Just like your father..." she said in a silky tone as she approached Loke and Lucy (who was still stood in her underwear).

 _'Wait...just like your father?! This was Loke's mother?!'_ Lucy was freaking out on the inside. Screaming to herself.

 _'WHAT'A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION LUCY!'_

"Nice to meet you, miss Lucy Heartfilia. I'm Leo's mother, Selene."

Selene smiled brightly, and offered her hand to her. It seemed everyone in Leo's family was gorgeous without even trying.

Surprisingly to Lucy, the women didn't call her out, she just offered her hand to Lucy casually. Lucy took ahold of Selene's hand and proceeded to shake it.

"It's an honor to meet you too, Selene." She managed to contain her outside and smiled. She could see a lot of Loke in her. The gentle eyes, and the way she smiled matched his own.

Lucy tried to ease the awkwardness of her being in just panties by reaching out and taking hold of her star dress, hoping his mother didn't notice as she sneakily wrapped it around her waist.

Selene smiled at Lucy. She had a bright, beautiful smile.

"I can see why Leo has the eyes for you Lucy, you're beautiful. Maybe I should keep you away from my husband." She chuckled.

Loke narrowed his eyes, pouting. "Maybe you should..." He muttered back to Selene through his pout.

Lucy looked away bashfully and thought to herself. 'Yep...he defiantly gets his charm from her..heh.." She looked back up, smiling. "Thank you so much Selene."

Selene's eyes lowered to Lucy's choice of attire. "I hope my son hasn't caused you too much trouble."

She tilted her head back to the young lion after noticing the house ring was on Lucy's thumb and not his hand. She didn't say anything.

Loke only pouted harder at this. Only his mother could make him look that way.

She noticed Selene lower her eyes. "Err.." Lucy let out a awkward laugh. "Oh haha no ma'am! You raised a perfect gentleman!" Her voice was unusually high pitched, causing Selene to raise her brow in suspicion. Though, she didn't say anything, she knew her son had his gentleman side...and then his pervy side.

"When have I ever caused trouble?!" Loke butted in. What a stupid question. His mother gave him a warning look that she could embarrass him at any moment before Loke finally took back what he said.

"-forget I asked that. We have a world to save."

"Ahh yes! We might want to save the world huh?" Lucy laughed. Their moment of peace was soon interrupted.

A loud obnoxious rumbling noise came from outside. It shook the mansion.

"Please don't let that be what I think it is.."

Oh but it was. The black magic pillar broke through to the spirit world. Lucy dropped her dress and ran over to the nearest window only to see the horror. She could see other spirits in a trance, just staring and walking towards the pillar.

"But how? Already? That means..." She flew back and threw on her dress. "We have to warn them before that magic touches them! Anyone with Negative thoughts will turn to the dark side!"

Erza stood her ground with Jellal, though it didn't help. They may be powerful, but with Natsu now on the shady man's side, the fight was over in minutes. Happy was launched off somewhere by Natsu, Jellal laid not too far away from Erza next to a small stream.

"Erza...get..out of here.." He choked out, trying to push himself back up.

She touched his hand, smiling, trying not to show how much pain she was in.

"I'm not going to leave you, idiot.. And you know that for a fact..."

Natsu leaped over to Erza, tilting his head side to side.

"Hmm poor Titania. I told you I'd beat you one day." He had a big wicked grin across his face and he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She was to weak to move.

Jellal took ahold of Natsu's ankle. "Let...her go..."

The tainted salamander stared down at him. Laughing at his weakness.

"Oh Jellal. You were a much better fight at the Tower of Heaven. Now you're just pathetic." He raised his other leg and slammed his boot into the side of Jellal's head, knocking him out.

The others had headed towards the pillar, searching for their guild mates.

"Natsu! Erza! Happy! Lucy! Where are you?!" Gray screamed.

Eventually they found Happy and he (over dramatically) explained what happened.

"I almost had him, but he was too fast!"

In the spirit world, chaos has also just erupted.

Loke and Selene glanced at each other at the sound of the rumbling.

"I-impossible..." His mother stuttered,

"Nothing has penetrated the walls between the worlds since the..." She was shaking slightly as her voice trailed off.

Loke put his hand on her shoulder. "Take the others to safety... I'll fix this. I promise."

She took a breath and looked boldly at Loke and nodded, she raised a hand to his hair and stroked it. "T-that's my boy. Show them Hell..."

She yanked a piece of gold from a perch in the armoury and grabbed Loke's wrist. She put her hand on his sleeve and stuck a gold and black lion cufflink in, giving him a stern look.

"Only use this if your lives depends on it... You know how hard it is to undo old magic..." She said quietly to Leo.

Loke stared at it in horror for a moment. The lion cufflinks red ruby eyes glared up at him. This was one of the oldest items in the armoury and had a layer of dust over it that had half been wiped off when it was planted on him.

The lions quietly nodded and Selene ran out bidding them good luck and safety.

"Lucy... Everyone will be safe. Don't worry." He tried to desperately keep this positive as he caught up to her.

He placed his palms on her cheeks quickly as they walked towards the door and gave her An intense look.

"Just remember, once this is over with, we have a future ahead of us"

He kissed her before she could answer him and headed out the door. He had to keep her mind occupied with something!

Loke pulled some new shades out of the jacket pocket and put them on as they ran outside.

"How do you suppose we get them away from that thing?"

She raised her hands to her lips that he had just oh so passionately kissed.

Lucy followed behind, wondering what he meant by _'we have a future...''_ She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. A distraction was the last thing she needed.

"I'm not sure, but we should at least warn them before it's too late." The look in Lucy's eyes was fierce and determined. Loke gave her confidence.

She jogged down the steps and past the large golden gate, heading towards the pillar with Loke by her side.

"Loke, I need you to send me through your gate. You warn the others. I'll handle Lilith. And that's an order!"

Loke halted on the spot. "W-What!? "

He frowned at the thought of her taking Lilith down by herself. Although the quicker he warned the others, the quicker he could return to Lucy's side.

"An Order?" He frowned harder. He couldn't say no as they needed to attack from all angles but he couldn't bring himself to do this.

"I-I can't..." he said through gritted teeth.

"As a lion, I have a duty to protect my family and friends... But I also have a duty to protect you, and I will be damned if I do this and something bad happens to you. I won't be able to forgive myself..."

Lucy sneared at him, annoyed yet still happy that he cared that much.

"Damn it Loke! Listen to me! FOR ONCE..."

She skidded to a stop and looked at him with a serious expression.

"I have to destroy her on my own. And you yourself said I was stronger than I thought I was. If you truly believe that you'll do as I say and send me through your key!"

The ground shook again, the pillar now growing wider. Spirits stumbling to the ground, some screaming in horror.

Lucy didn't even budge, showing her dominance.

"Loke!" She shrieked as the pillar widened more.

"PLEASE! I swear I'll come back to you...Just like you came back to me." Her heart was ready to take down Lilith, but her brain said no, but she had no other choice.

Lucy had to do this one way or another. She took his face in her hands and reached up, locking lips with his for a brief moment.

"Trust me.."

Loke had a sad look on his face. "I do trust you Lucy... With my life, but I don't trust Lilith at all." He had no choice but to let her go…

"Dammit! Lucy… Argh Be careful as I'll kill her if she hurts you!"

He grabbed Lucy and sent her through his gate with him before he changed his mind. He let go of her as they stood in the forest.

"... I'll get the others to safety and I'll be back." He kissed her forehead and vanished.

The lion returned to see the black pillar growing larger. He went into a sprint, blasting a roaring golden lion made of Regulus right into the pillar. As it struck it, sparks flew off it and scattered to the ground. It certainly got their attention.

He growled and shouted. "EVERYONE, GET BACK TO YOUR HOUSES OR I GO RE-BORN ON YOUR ASSES!"

Everyone looked at him, snapping out of their trances. "L-Leo..." The spirits of the various houses looked at him. He returned a look and pointed in the other direction. "GO. We'll deal with this." They started to run without little hesitation.

"Thank you Loke." Lucy muttered as Leo disappeared. His warm lips on her forehead felt nice. She couldn't wait for this to be over. All she wanted to do was be with Loke and her friends.

Her friends... She was worried sick about all of them. What if they got hurt because of her? She shouldn't have left them behind after she thought Loke was gone. How could she be so stupid? Fairy Tail was her family, and her relationship was pulling her emotions all over the place.

Lucy shook her shoulders and turned towards a rustling noise in the bushes. It was Erza & Natsu...but they looked..different.

"Oh guys I'm so glad to see you!" Her first instinct was to tackle hug them, but she didn't when she noticed Erza's hand fly in front of her face, stopping her from moving.

"Uhh guy's? Something wron-" that's when it hit her, they must have been affected by Nirvana...but how?

Lucy stepped back, but was grabbed by her arms and tied up.

"We'll be taking you now. If you cooperate, we might just spare your life, blondy." Erza said with a low monotone voice.

This could be a good thing. If they were taking her to Lilith, which she felt they would, then she could save her energy. So, Lucy stayed quiet and didn't fight back. Natsu followed behind, he stared up at Lucy, who was thrown over Erza's shoulder with a confused look.

"Blondy, why aren't you thrashing around? Aren't you terrified?" His expression turned into a wicked one.

"Nahh, not really." Lucy teased, making Natsu scrunch his nose and frown.

"How dare you mock me! Now tell me why you aren't fighting for your life? Don't you want to hurt us?"

She sighed, resting her face in her palms. "I refuse to hurt friends. You might not remember clearly, but you're one of my best friends." Lucy smiled, surprising Natsu.

"Wha-!"

"Zip it, Salamander!" Erza spat at him.

He was confused. _'Why is she being so nice?'_ He just continued to stare in confusion.

Loke ran towards the other spirits, seeing a few run past him quickly. The lions blazing Regulus soared around him. He clenched his fists as he sprinted.

"GET OUT OF HERE. THIS IS NIRVANA. GET EVERYONE TO SAFETY AND INFORM THE KING..."

The king... He hoped it didn't effect him, and what of the Ophiuchus family...

Surely negative people get affected too. Will they be nice? He was unsure.

Virgo ran past him, she had started to help along with Taurus, Gemini and Sagittarius.

"Guys... Where are the others? We need to come together and make sure all of Lucy's spirits are safe and ready..." The lion asked.

They nodded.

"Meet me in my courtyard when the silvers are safe..." Loke commanded.

Lucy was taken into the same large building that she was in before.

Erza, roughly, threw her to the ground before Lillith's feet. The snake woman rose to her feet, looking down upon Lucy, swinging her keys around her finger with a smirk on her face. The snake woman had a nice pile of Leo's cufflinks on her side. It seems she collected them off Lucy's fallen comrades and used them to see Lucy on each instance. She unfortunately figured out Leo's plan quite quickly.

"Thought you could get away so eassssily huh?"

She bent down next to Lucy and grabbed her face.

It hurt Lucy, but all be damned if she was going to show any kind of weakness!

"I didn't intend on getting away...I was fully prepared to stay here and stand my ground."

Lilith's laughter echoed throughout the room.

"How cute. Look at you trying at act all tough." She squeezed Lucy's cheeks and pushed her back to the ground, standing back up, and fixing her hair.

Lucy inched herself up, leaning against a wall. She now noticed Ashton laying on the opposite side of the room, unconscious.

The snake woman noticed Lucy's eyes trail over that way and grinned.

"I had to rid of him. He was getting in my way since day one. He couldn't even please a lady.

"Hmph!" She crossed her arms, standing tall, showing her dominance.

This made Lucy laugh. "You think of yourself...as a lady. Ha, you're far from being a lady."

Lilith was outraged! She slithered over to Lucy and grabbed her by her throat, pressing her thumb down, making it hard to breath.

"How dare you sssspeak to me like that. I am a lady! Unlike you!" For some reason this subject really upsetted Lilith, giving Lucy the perfect opportunity to take that pocket knife, she had oh so conveniently found (and borrowed) in the Leo's armor room, and cut the rope that bound her arms together.

"News flash bitch! A real lady is loyal to her lover, but you have many of those don't you?!"

The woman glared down at Lucy, coldly. Her eyes were venomous. Lilith went to transform into a terrifying creature, but Lucy, who hadn't giving any hint to her arms being free, reached up and snatched her keys away from her and brung her leg up into the air, and kicked Lilith away from her. The snake woman hit the ground then flew back to her feet, hissing at Lucy.

There eyes now locked intensely. Lilith was still pretty banged up from the blast earlier, but she was still more powerful than a human, and could strike as fast as lightning, like a viper. Both knew shit was about to go down.

Gray, Juvia, Happy, and the now conscious Jellal, were close to Lucy.

"We have to get to her before the guy from the pillar does!" Jellal shouted as they pushed up the hill.

Happy flew above the tree's and spotted the building. "I think she might be in the building up ahead!" He shot forward in the sky.

"Happy, stay close! We don't know what kind of traps there could be and we don't need you getting hurt again!" Gray said, his voice was stern.

"Aye!"

After some time guiding the silver spirits away from the dark pillar, all twelve Zodiacs stood in Leo's courtyard in front of the large statue Lucy noticed earlier. Leo pushed his shades up and cleared his throat. He noticed a few of the spirits looking scared and others staring at his gold and black cufflink, nervously.

"Nirvana is dangerous, we all need to be on our toes. Do you all still have a clear view of your key holders face?"

They all nodded. "Good. Now where is Ophiuchus?"

The large snake slithered on up and reared up. "Sss right here..."

Loke looked up at her, and pointed to the statue.

"You remember why this is here right?"

The snake nodded.

"We triumphed over you in the war and as payment for your blood shed, you were bound to the thirteenth gate. We can't change our families past but it doesn't mean more blood has to be shed to secure our futures"

He gave Ophiuchus an intense stare, "I hope your sister realises that her actions have warranted her execution..."

The snake lowered her head sadly, and nodded. "The family are dissssssapointed but accept the Kings verdict."

Loke walked over to the snake and placed his hand on her head. "I'm sorry about this..."

The other zodiacs bowed their heads down and kept quiet, allowing Leo to walk up to the statue and grab the golden blade in the centre of it. He yanked it out causing it to glow and form into a ring on his finger. There were many trinkets and items for each house, but most of the lions were to do with battle. They were born to fight, even if they didn't want too.

"I didn't sense Yukino anywhere near Nirvana but I need you guys to make sure the silver spirits here are safe..." He said to Yukino's spirits, Libra and Pisces.

"The rest of us need to ready ourselves for whatever maybe thrown our way..."

Cancer snapped his scissors and looked up, "Looks like Baby got her keys back! Can you feel it?"

Aquarius's eye twitched, the thought that Lucy lost them again irritated her.

The lion looked at them all, a large smirk spread across his lips.

"Excellent, time to take action..."

Lucy was backed into a corner by Erza and Natsu. She didn't want to hurt were her friends! Her family! Affected by Nirvana or not, she just couldn't hurt them.

Just as they were about to go at it, Jellal, Gray, Juvia, and Happy busted through the door.

Gray quickly iced the floor, causing Natsu to slip and fall.

"Hey Flame Head. Are you fired up yet?" He teased, skating towards him at full speed.

"Ready to get your ass handed to you?" Natsu said, standing up with a unfriendly expression.

The two went at it, Natsu sent a blast of fire towards Gray, who managed to dodge it.

"Ice make Lance!" A humongous iced spike formed and headed straight towards Natsu, knocking him back a few feet.

"Alright! This should be fun!" Gray smirked and waited for his friend to stand back up.

Jellal stood there in shock when he saw Erza. He had already figured out she was either affected by Nirvana or the Lacroma. The Lacroma most likely. She was too strong to let her mind slip like that.

"Erza I.."

She stood in front of him, arms folded as she glared at him.

"Oh how the tables have turned haven't they?"

He now seaw only a fraction of himself in her. _'Was I really this wicked?'_ He thought to himself. _'No...I was much worse.'_ He had hoped to never see anyone go through what he did and have to live with the weight of sins on his shoulders, especially Ezra. She meant too much to him.

Scorpio raised his eyebrows.

"Have you got light armour on Leo?" He asked. "It maybe worth us all protecting ourselves a little better. Spirits attacking spirits takes longer to heal..."

Aquarius agreed. "The less pain the better!" She looked at Scorpio in adoration like his idea was the best thing she had ever heard.

"Have you all got some kind of armour still?" Loke looked at everyone who glowed into their battle armour.

"...So we were all holding onto the past. Glad it wasn't just me." Loke stood and looked at them all, hands in pockets. They all looked prepared. "Alright then… Let's go stop Nirvana, for Lucy!." He raised his fist into the air with a confident look. Lucy's spirits did the same and chanted.

Erza and Jellal ended up battling somewhere outside, along with Gray & Natsu. It wasn't pretty.

Jellal felt like he was breaking each time she attacked, not for friends, but out of hate.

This wasn't the Erza he knew, this was a nightmare to him.

"Erza! Snap out of it!" He jumped back, sticking the landing just as she targeted him and sent down 50 different swords.

"Why won't you fight back?!" She was frustrated beyond belief.

He just continued to dodge her moves. "I will not hurt you Erza!"

Jellal rocketed up into the trees, ricocheting from branch to branch. He launched up into the air and grabbed her by her arms, and stared her in the eyes.

"Not ever again..."

Erza, ignored his comment. It didn't even spark a hint of her old self, but Jellal knew the old Erza was still there. She attempted to jerk her arms away, but his hold was too tight, but not tight enough to hurt her.

"And why won't you hurt me?!" She spat.

He saw nothing but Zeref written in her eyes. His eyes rolled down to her neck where something caught his attention. There, plain as day, was a Lacroma.

Gray wasn't doing so well. His body was singed and burned badly. It was as if Natsu was literally trying to cook him.

"Come on Ice boy is that seriously all you got?!" Natsu roared out, a giant smirk on his face as he sent a blast of flames down towards him.

Luckily, Juvia blocked him and threw up a wall barrier. "Juvia will protect you Gray-sama!"

The force from Natsu pushed Juvia back a few inches. She tried her best to hold up the barrier long enough so that Gray could heal.

She dug her heels into the ground as she was pushed back further.

"Juvia...must protect her friends..!" The barrier rose another 20feet into the air as something snapped inside of her. She moved forward, the fire dimming down and fading away from her water magic. Steam rolled over the mages, making it not only hard to see, but hard to breath.

Juvia began to feel faint, her arms about to give out when Gray came up behind her and placed his hands against her water wall and froze it solid. His body was pressed up against her back.

She turned her head to look up at him, her face a dark shade of scarlet. "Gray-sama..."

Meanwhile, Lucy was also getting her ass handed to her by Lilith. Though Lilith was beat up pretty badly too. Lucy didn't want to summon her spirits. They had other things to deal with in the spirit world.

She stood up, with her hand against the wall and her breath staggered. _'Loke was right, she is powerful, even in the state she is in..'_ She thought to herself.

Lilith came at her again. This time, the two large serpents on Lillith's back shot black venom towards her.

Lucy, assuming it was just like the black Lacroma, dodged it smoothly and cracked her whip, slinging it around Lilith's neck.

"Gotcha now!" Well at least she thought she did. The snake woman slithered out from the hold and shot towards Lucy, and coiled around her frail body, nearly squeezing the life out of her.

"Ngghh...Ahh!" Lucy felt some of her ribs crack. She gasped out for air, struggling to grab her keys.

She should have summoned someone! _'Common Lucy you got this!'_ She managed to grab one of her keys, feeling the design to see whom it was.

 _'Aha! Cancer!'_ She knew she didn't have much time to waist, she had to open his gate.

"OPEN! G-GATE OF THE CR-AB! C-CANCERRRR!"

In a jiff, Cancer was summoned. The crab had new scissors for this occasion. They looked a lot sharper than usual. Cancer had sent a slash from behind Lilith, who only hissed at the crab.

"Issssss that all you have, you ssstupid crab?" She coughed up blood and slashed a tail at him.

He was geared up and had managed to slice up Lilith pretty well, allowing Lucy to free herself. Traces of Liliths hair also fluttered to the ground.

Finally, She could breath once again!

"Thanks Cancer!" Her thumb went up, as she let out a thankful sigh.

"No problem baby! You know I've always got your back!"

Loke had noticed Cancer be summoned from the courtyard. Lucy's spirits all looked at each other.

"Be ready. I have a plan..." he sniggered.

The crab vanished from the battlefield.

The snake gritted her teeth and snapped her head back to Lucy.

"Your sssspirits leave when you neeeed them...Pathetic..." Little did Lilith realise, he hadn't left.

Loke had swapped places with him.

Loke was now standing behind Lilith. The ring formed back into the golden blade. He sent a wave of Regulus into the blade, causing it to glow. The lion had it angled right at the back of her neck.

He had a scowl on his face as he stared at the snake is utter disgust.

Aries appeared next to Lucy as a distraction, she was wearing a fluffy looking dress but it was heavier than normal. They'd all equipped themselves with armour.

Aries whimpered. "S-Sorry L-Lilith... Kings orders..." The lion looked at Lucy, then back to Lilith, about to strike.

As Cancer disappeared, Lucy wasn't surprised. She knew what it meant. And so she was right, her lion appeared behind Lilith, and Aries appeared next to her. She figured Aries as the distraction by the look on Loke's face, but the gold sparkles had seemed to catch the snakes attention.

Lucy had to distract her before she fully turned around. "HEY SNAKE BITCH!" Lucy shouted. Her plan worked. Lilith raised her eyes to Lucy, her eyes now filled with rage.

"Thisssss isss where I end you. Lucccy heartfillia! I've had enough of your mouthhhh for one day!"

Jellal was still midair with Erza. His grip never loosening and his eyes never left the Lacroma. Though Erza tried to break free, it was no use, she just couldn't budge.

"Answer me you fool! Why won't you fight me?!" There was no going back.

Jellal knew what he had to do. His eyes met hers, and the words the real Erza longs for, escaped his mouth without hesitation.

"Because I would be empty without my Erza Scarlet… I love you" This distracted her long enough for him to release her hands and rip the Lacroma from her neck.

She instantly snapped back to her old self, staring at him with wide, tear filled eyes as they both plummet toward the Earth. He held onto her as they hit the ground, her on top of him. The gaze never breaking. "Jellal..."

Meanwhile, Loke pushed the blade forward. The blade jabbed into the back of her neck, piercing the skin slightly, right in the spot that she was covering up from the explosion. She had bitten down into his throat and he was not happy about it. An eye for an eye… Or throat for a throat in this instance.

"Don't you hate it when your past stabs you in the back..." He growled.

She went to turn but he grabbed her head quickly, and turned it back to Aries and Lucy. He leaned down to her ear, allowing his silky voice to echo into her ears. He whispered to her.

"Lilith, By the order of the Spirit king, I hereby take your execution into my own hands...I-I'm sorry."

The snake woman struggled. One of the vipers from her back shot up and sunk its teeth into his wrist, trying to push him back. It's teeth cracked down on the red rubies on Leo's cufflink, venom poured down onto it.

This was the last thing he wanted to happen. Lilith hissed at him, allowing her snake to bite so hard its jaw cracked against the metal. It started to change shape on his hand. It formed a black and gold armored glove over his arm. He cringed as it was activated. This was not a part of his plan. He was trying to hold it back with every inch of willpower he was starting to hurt.

"Your sister gave me her blessing" he said cruelly, through gritted teeth, but quietly so Lucy and Aries couldn't hear.

However Lilith's face would of said it all. Taurus appeared in front of Lucy and Aries, shielding their view as Loke sent the blade up, causing Regulus sparks to fly up into the air, before finally striking it down.

The sound of Lilith's last despite scream echoed through her ears. Taurus stared at Leo with wide, terrified eyes.

He hadn't seen that look on Leo's face ever. The bull watched both Lilith and Leo fall to the ground. Everything was in slow motion as Lucy pushed Taurus to the side, trying to get to her lion as fast as she could.

He hit the ground, rolling towards them. "Loke!" She called out as she dropped to her knees and held him up in her arms. Her eyes turned to the black and golden armored glove. His fist was clenched. He must have been in pain. She brushed a few strands of hair from his face and leaned down, kissing his forehead.

"How about a Vacation after this? Just the two of us?" She said, slightly panicked.

The lion's grip on the blade loosened as it returned into its ring form on his other hand, the glove however stayed.

His hand was shaking like he was holding it back. He was given that as a last resort but Lilith activated it. It took everything in his power to keep it from finishing what it started.

"I-I think i'll need it a vacation after this." Loke stuttered.

What came over him to act so cruelly, yes he was going to kill her anyway but jeeze. He scared himself. Taurus glanced at the gloved hand and returned his gaze. _'is that what I think it is?'_

The Bull pondered and walked towards the lion. Lilith's body began to fade into nothingness.

"Lucy I-" His attention was drawn to Ashton who had woken up to see everything. He was no longer under Lilith's influence but what he saw probably didn't cast a great first lion put his hand in his pockets for safety, keeping it out of sight.

Lucy helped Leo to his feet, his arm draped over her shoulder for support. "You okay?"

Ashton pushed himself up off the ground. Adjusting his hair and shifted his eyes upward, only to see his _lover_ lying limp on the floor.

She vanished right before his eyes, causing a gasp to escape his lips. Leo had taken another woman away from him!

"N-No...not again...NOT AGAIN!" He pulled a sword from his side and charged at Loke and Lucy.

"YOU BASTARD I'LL KILL YOU!"

Aries moved quickly, appearing at Ashton's side and did the unthinkable.

She raised her hand and smacked him across the face. Everyone was shocked by her actions.

Even Ashton who was now flat on his ass again.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for?!" He cried out, holding his now red cheek.

"I-I'm sorry..." The little ram looked away and hid her face.

"But y-ou should be ashamed of yourself! Karen would be disappointed in you!"

Ashton's face went pale as she spoke those words. It hit him like a ton of bricks.

He knew Karen was cruel... But she defiantly wasn't cruel enough to do something _this_ drastic.

Ashton covered his face with his hands. He knew he messed up now. "What have I done?..."

Loke stared at Aries for a moment, biting his lip before laughing uncontrollably at the slap.

"AHAHAHAHA... I'm sorry." _He wasn't sorry._

This glove was messing with his head.

"Aries is right." He managed to contain himself and stop laughing.

"Go home to your father, he's worried sick!"

Loke put his ungloved arm around Lucy. "If we killed Lilith... Why is the darkness still here...?" He frowned, he had hoped they'd dealt with it. The black pillar still soared up into the sky. He had assumed it was Lillith's doing. How wrong he was…


	16. Chapter 16: Natsu vs Loke

**Chapter 16 - Natsu vs Loke!**

There was a cold, harshness to the wind that trailed over the forest and snuck into the building. Harshness that Lucy had felt before. Cold that Lucy had felt before. The feeling sent shivers down her spine.

Erza now stood away from Jellal. Feeling as awkward as ever, but was determined to help her fellow guild mates who were struggling to keep up the water barrier protecting them from Natsu's vicious flames. He was totally out of control. He was monstrous like this and it had to stop.

"Juvia..can't keep this up much longer..." The water mage's voice cracked and her vision blurred. This was a lot harder than she had first anticipated.

Natsu gave them a toothy grin and took a deep breath.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAAAAAR!" He boomed, blasting through her water barrier and striking both Juvia and Gray down and into the wall beside Loke and Lucy.

He was victorious.

"Weak." He spat.

Loke glared at him through the hole in the wall. "What the Hell is wrong with the, Camp fire?!" He asked, having only just noticed that Natsu was out of control. Then it hit him. Nirvana had taken him over.

This new nickname did not go down well with Natsu.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" He shot fire from his mouth in anger and stomped on over.

Loke rolled his shoulders back and left Lucy's side. If you could go to one extreme to another with Nirvana, who is to say Natsu won't get really angry to really calm… Or something like that, also Loke enjoys fighting Natsu. He gets a thrill out of punching that stupid idiot in the face. Not that he'd ever tell Lucy. He might consider it payback for barging in on them both before.

"I called you a Campfire..." He pouted, bringing the gloved hand out of his pocket and clenching both fists by his sides.

"Have you got a problem with that, You stinky bonfire?" Loke had just seen him beat down one of his friends and the lovely Juvia, he was pretty annoyed watching all these people go loopy around him.

Natsu rolled his sleeves up on the trench coat. "I DO HAVE A PROBLEM, YOU STUPID CAT!" Natsu blurted.

Loke smirked. "Stupid cat? I don't think so, Salmon Head."

Natsu leapt at him with a flaming fist, which Loke countered with a Regulus filled fist. It had begun.

The lion vs the Salamander. Things are gonna get messy.

Lucy blinked. It seemed like everything was going so fast. One fight after another.

Leo really impressed her. He was strong and confidant. She loved that about him.

"B-Be careful Loke!" Her eyes shot up to her lover and her friend now brawling.

Natsu's flame grew as it pushed Loke's Regulus fist back. "Not so tough now are you? Stupid cat!"

He grit his teeth, smirking at Leo as the flames intensified more. "Common! Is that all you got?!"

"Just warming up, Lizard face!" He grinned, and formed a magic circle on his fist from his ring. His gloved hand was pinned to his side, he was refraining from using it.

"LIZARD?!" He roared angrily.

Loke's Regulus flames grew white hot.

"Hey Natsu. If you're still in there, see if you remember this one..."

He smirked, "REGULUS IMPACT!"

He shot Natsu up into the sky, blasting him through the roof. Loke pushed his shades up his nose so he could see where he went. "Pfft. Camp fire..."

Natsu landed on the rooftops edge, almost falling back, but luckily caught his balance.

"Get your ass up here fur ball! I'm not done with you!"

Lucy looked up at Loke, noticing he was clenching his gloved fist tightly. He seemed to still be in pain, but knew he wouldn't allow her to fight.

"Loke, don't push yourself...and please remember Natsu is still our friend..."

He sniggered and leap up using a burst of Regulus from the magic circle below him.

"Sometimes our friends can be a little unreasonable..." he shouted down, pointing to Gray and Juvia in a pile of rubble. In Gray's last bit of consciousness he managed to catch Juvia, who clung onto his chest weakly.

"He needs the sense knocked back into him!"

He landed on the roof. Natsu instantly started running back at him but tripped on a pile of bricks and fell on his face.

This caused Loke to look down at him and smirk, his shades glinting in the light of his Regulus flames.

It made Natsu even madder, he staggered to his feet and ran back at him.

"Our last fight went just like this Natsu... REGULUS IMPACT" He knocked him into the sky again, not really believing he fell for it twice.

Natsu was beyond pissed. He clenched his fist as he was mid-air.

"You're gonna regret the day you laid your filthy paws on me!" He rocketed down towards Loke, his fist engulfed with a large flame.

The wild look in his eyes was nothing like the real Natsu. It was actually kind if scary. He met the side of Loke's face with his fist knocking him to the other side of the roof, almost off the edge.

Loke stood back up, rubbed his face, quickly adjusted his suit, and the two went at it again. This time Natsu leaped into the air above Loke.

"FIRE DRAGON ROOOOARRRRR!" The large flame covered Loke fully.

Natsu landed back on the ground, his arms folded and a devilish grin on his face.

"Well that wasn't too hard... Heh.."

The Lion let out a groan from the middle of the flames.

"Argh… That's a waste of a good suit you jerk..." The white light from his fists was twisting into something darker. He raised his gloved hand in the air and aimed it at Natsu.

"You better come to your senses soon Natsu, As I really don't want to do this..." He was serious, his suit was smoking and his hair was out of place. 'But something tells me I might not have a choice...' It seemed to have a mind of its own.

The lion had burn marks on his skin.

The Salamander went for him, causing Loke to sigh and take grip of his gloved wrist with force.

"Lucy... If I start acting weird, send me back or and beat the living crap out of me... Because I may not remember this afterwards."

The golden light took form around Loke's arms, slowly forging golden and black armour up his body. "This might spark a few memories into his thick skull..." He writhed in pain as it was taking place.

"What?!" Lucy shrieked. "Loke what are you talk-" she watched as his appearance changed. "What...is that...?"

Aries shouted up at him. "LEO! DON'T BE STUPID."

She sent a wool bomb at Natsu and went up there and stood in front of him. Loke gritted his teeth, trying to slow it down. "Aries..."

Natsu laughed hysterically, Holding his stomach.

"Ha! You think a little armor is going to scare me flea bag? You must be stupid!"

Natsu put one foot behind the other. He took a deep breath and raised his head and motioning his hands. "Let's Tango, cat boy!"

He darted forward, attempting to spear the lion in his chest, with his head.

As he impacted, his skull felt like it cracked.

He bounced back and skidded across the ground. "What the hell?!"

The lion was unharmed. He hadn't even moved an inch...His armor wasn't even damaged! And that was a hard hit!

Meanwhile, Erza and Jellal awkwardly walked back from there incident. Erza saw flames shooting up into the air about half a mile away. "Is that...Natsu?!"

Aries jumped out of the way of Natsu, causing the armour to fully form over the lion. Loke stared at Natsu who tried to send more punches at his torso, roaring.

"ARGHH. WHY ISN'T IT WORKING!"

Leo tilted his head down and gave him a dirty smirk.

"My turn..." The armoured lion growled.

Regulus, dirty regulus burst into his fist which Leo proceeded to pummel down into Natsu, causing him to shatter through the roof tiles, cascading back down in front of Lucy with a loud thud.

The slight hint of pouncing lions took shape from the black flames. Natsu thought it was in his imagination.

"You call that a fight Dragon slayer, I've had better fights with my grandmother..." His voice was blunt and deep.

"Loke..." Lucy whispered in a shaky tone. He defiantly wasn't acting like the Leo she knew.

Natsu pushed himself back up, holding onto his arm, one eye open as he stared into Loke's eyes, smiling a big toothy grin.

"Grandmother ehh? Well after I'm done with you, you'll be walking like a grandma!" He spat on the ground, a small amount of blood filmed the top.

He cracked his knuckles and neck, that grin never leaving his face.

"Prepare to meet your maker..."

Natsu ignited his feet in humongous flames, roaring so loudly the ground shook.

"FIREEEE DRAGON CLAW!" He shot towards Loke faster than a speeding bullet, feet first, aiming for his chest.

Lucy was still close by, and just before the blow by Natsu, which would have affected Lucy, Capricorn swooped in by summoning himself and grabbed Lucy and went flying backwards to safety.

"Are you okay miss Lucy?"

This Leo wasn't sure what the real Natsu was like, but he sure as Hell didn't like this one.

He was a pain in the ass. "Is that really the best come back you could think off?"

He took the hit with ease, the armour soaking in all the damage, only moving him back slightly. Finally the armour was complete.

A dark purple cloak flickered out of his back.

"How about you stop playing around and actually try and hit me..."

Natsu roared angrily, "THAT'S IT. FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME"

Natsu ignited his hands and brought them together, creating a large fireball that he quickly launched at Leo.

The lion merely grinned, raising his hand. "Sanction of Darkness..." And with those words, black flames appeared in front of him, and dispelled Natsu's fire instantly. The salamander was helpless.

"Loke be easy! He's still-"

Capricorn interrupted her. "Lucy...He's not the Leo we know right now...but it's the only way to snap your friend out of his darkness...though he maybe out for awhile. I guess he would word it as fighting fire with fire? Or Darkness with darkness?" The goat shrugged slightly.

Natsu would never give up. Evil or not, he always had the willpower.

The Salamander rose once more, his hair in his face, still grinning.

"You idiot..." Natsu began to devour the dark flames.

"This... Isn't good.." Aries whimpered.

He finished absorbing the flames and laughed, throwing his head back and patted his belly.

"I'm all fired up now!...Exploding Flame Blade of Darkness!" A combination of his flames and Leo's dark flames swirled together in one big fireball and Natsu blasted it towards Loke.

"Hammer of darkness!"

Natsu had shot right through it, causing Leo to take a large hit, this one hurting. He slid back across the ground, still standing.

This black fire roared back and struck Natsu in return. He had to wipe his lip which had started to bleed.

"Loke!" Lucy yelled, watching them both strike each other hard.

"Ngh... That's more like it...Now you're fighting like someone I can appreciate. " He looked at Lucy sharply as she yelled, "The name is Leo... Not Loke..."

Taurus and Aries went to Lucy's side, Leo turned his attention back to Natsu and went for him again.

"... I don't think he meant to turn this power on... We spirits use this as a last resort.." Aries muttered.

Taurus nodded. "His reborn self is very powerful but a real jerk... Mmmmoooo I suppose fighting fire with fire usually works thooooough"

"Did he just? Oh hell no!" Lucy stomped towards Loke, but Capricorn held her back.

"Lemme at him! I don't care if his ass was reborn or whatever! He's not speaking to me like that!" The sass was real. Lucy could feel her blood boiling.

Aries couldn't help but to giggle at her.

"You stupid cat! Wait until you're back to your normal state! I'm gonna kick your furry ass!" Lucy roared, raising her fists in the air.

The goat actually struggled to hold her back, she was fierce!

Natsu was pretty beat down, but it wasn't like he was going to show it.

He was hit again by Leo and sent into the wall, crashing through it.

The room was silenced. Only the sounds of crumbling debris from the wall Natsu smashed through was heard. Bricks tumbled down onto him and made the air thick and dirty.

"NATSU!" Lucy jerked away from Capricorn who wasn't paying attention. She didn't care if he was affected by Nirvana. That was her friend!

She hopped through the opening of the wall as the dust settled.

Natsu was buried under a small pile of bricks. She cleared them, and tried to pull him up.

"Gahh! You should seriously try a diet, Natsu!"

He chuckled as he pushed himself up with her help.

"Perhaps you're right Lucy..." The salamander spoke is his usual tone.

"Natsu...?"

He turned his head to her and smiled.

"Are you?-"

"Stand back Lucy..." He stood straight up and met eyes with the lion.

"You're real name might be Leo.." He choked and stepped through the opening, wiping blood from his mouth.

"But since you've joined Fairy Tail... "

Natsu's eyes rolled down to a piece of wood that was still engulfed with both Leo's and Natsu's flames. He devoured it and raised his index finger to Leo

"...YOU HAVE BEEN KNOWN AS LOKE AND THAT'S HOW YOU'RE GONNA STAY! YOU HEAR ME?!"

Lucy stood frozen, unable to move. "Natsu.. Do-"

It was too late. "Darkness Phoenix blade!" Both hands lit with the fire before they cloaked his body in the aforementioned flames.

He ignited his whole body and shot towards Loke, hitting his chest, and sent him flying through the wall behind him and through some trees.

Yup, Natsu was back!

"Loke was right! It worked..." Aries mumbled, watching Natsu.

Capricorn was pretty excited, he started laughing. "Break the armour! He will snap out of it!"

Taurus smirked and watched the fight.

"That's really hard to do..." Aries bleated, worried for both Natsu and Leo.

Laughing could he heard from the rubble. A lot of laughing, followed by coughing.

The rubble moved and the golden and black lion staggered to his feet.

"Argh...That one hurt a bit...Why don't you show me your true power?" He cracked his neck, and adjusted his shoulder plates on the armour. He lowered his hands to his sides, and stared at the salamander.

Capricorn looked at Leo,

"... Wait what? A Reborn Leo wouldn't ask for a full out strike ... He'd just ... Not give him a chance... Natsu take him now while he's asking you too!"

Capricorn knew Loke was there still, giving them the chance.

"Come on you stupid, _Camp fire!_ Just hit me with everything you got." he roared, blasting the smoke and dust out the way with black Regulus. He left himself exposed, fighting against his own armour.

Erza and Jellal stood in the doorway of the building. Confused by the destruction before them. Erza noticed her friend Lucy by the opening and jogged over to her after also noticing the horrified look on her face.

"Lucy, what happened!?" Her voice was strong, yet gentle and concerned.

The blonde mage didn't reply...Hell she didn't even notice Erza until she placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Lucy?.." She looked over at her friend, eyes still as wide as ever.

Lucy explained everything to Erza, who was baffled by her explanation.

"Lucy.. Listen to me. We will get him back...I promise. I'm sure Natsu can handle this..."

A weak smile appeared on Lucy's face. "I hope you're right.."

Natsu, yet again, devoured the of Leo's dark flames that burned some rubble.

His head was tilted down, yet his eyes never left his friend.

"No problem buddy..." His smile turned into a serious frown as he raised his head back up, lighting his hands with the combined flames.

"How could you make everyone worry about you? Including Lucy...She thought she had lost you forever. HOW YOU COULD YOU BE SO RECKLESS?! DON'T YOU KNOW SHE LOVES YOU?!" The salamander roared out, shaking the whole building.

Loke smirked, and lowered his head, bracing for the impact. "You're one to talk…Idiot" he muttered quietly to himself.

Natsu pulled his hands back and snarled.

"THIS IS FOR MAKING LUCY CRY...BLACK FLAME DRAGON MODE...DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ART!"

The brilliant combined flames swirled together as he shot them towards the lion. They spiraled together and hit Leo dead in his chest, cracking the armor and sending him back through the wall, and somewhere into the Forest.

"Heh...stupid cat.."

Leo took the hit hard, leaving a trail of smoke and signed tree's in his path as he skidded to a stop by hitting a large oak tree.

The lions armour lay on the ground, he was staring up at the sky. The armour had cracked and exposed his chest. He let out a weak cough, spitting up some golden blood.

"Urgh...I knew you...could do it Natsu...Heh." He groaned, before bursting into vibrant golden sparkles.

Aries ran to the hole in the wall, staring out at the burnt path.

"...I think you did it... Leo's reborn technique is a little different to our ones..." She sighs and turns back to Lucy. "His one reverts to what the very first Leo was like... Before a time we had key holders... Its extremely strong but... had limited compassion.. Thank Goodness he didn't let his mind get taken over." She whimpered.

"Thank goodness indeed. I wouldn't like to meet anyone like Nemean…" Capricorn muttered to the two other spirits.

Natsu fell to his knees. He chuckled softly and pushed his hair from his face. "I could've defeated him, even in his full take over..."

Lucy and Erza rushed over to Natsu's side. The busty blonde hugged him. "Thank you Natsu...Thank you..."

She pulled out her Leo key and looked down at it smiling. "Rest easy my lion.."

Aries knelt down beside her owner.

"Leo needs to rest now, but if you need us, you know what to do." The little lamb smiled, and Lucy returned the grin just as her spirits disappeared.

Erza helped Natsu back to his feet and looked back towards the entrance where Jellal no longer stood. He was gone.

Jellal walked through the woods. "I guess they really don't need me. Heh.." He still didn't feel right around Erza. Yes, he did love her, and he may have admitted it, but he couldn't be with her. Not yet anyway. "Until we met again. Erza Scarlet.."

Erza smiled. She knew she would see him again...And that one day they would be together.

"Erza? Are you okay?" Natsu nudged her.

"I'm just fine. Now get on your feet. We still have to figure out why Nirvana hasn't stopped yet, even with Lilith gone."

He nodded and stood up straight. The salamander turned to Lucy who still held Leo's key.

"Luc-"

A man entered the building, eyes cloaked in shadows.

Natsu could feel how strong he was. The man wore a long black cloak with a dark green trim. Underneath he wore a tight grey cut sleeve shirt and black jeans. He raised his hand to Lucy and pointed at her. He was the one who had activated the pillar. He was the one who warped Natsu's mind!

"I told you we would meet again. Didn't think it would be this soon did you?"

Lucy rose to her feet taking a step back.

"Who are you?! Are you the one still controlling Nirvana?" She asked with a fearful quiver in her voice. That cold chill crept down her spine again.

The man laughed and gripped the hood of his cloak.

"You've already forgotten about me beautiful? How sad..." He pulled his hood off, revealing his identity.

"Recognise me now, blondie.." The green hair and wicked smile was enough to give Lucy goosebumps.

"E-Eric Lillica...I thought we dealt with you already?! Y-You were arrested?! Why are you here!?" Lucy demanded as she grit her teeth, hands on her keys ready to strike.

Eric threw his cloak to the ground and stepped over the rubble, looking around, an impressed look on his face. He seemed different than before. Stronger, and that made him twice as frightening.

"Hmm..Not bad..." He cleared his throat. "Oh...Why am I here? You should already know the answer. To kill that bastard lion of course. Now where is he?!"


	17. Chapter 17: Lucy

**Chapter 17 - Lucy**

Loke had returned to the spirit world. He woke up on the ground of his courtyard where he had left before. "...Urgh..." He groaned, laying there in just his trousers, and belt.

His mother came running over to his side.

"Leo!" She helped him up and took him inside.

"I am glad your friends were able to snap you out of it. Good job. I'll do my best to help you recover quickly." She ordered the staff to help her fix him up. Together they all worked at fixing him back up as quickly as possible.

"Lucy is this the guy you told us about?" Erza now stood at her left side and Natsu joined to her right.

She shared a look with then both before nodding.

"Yup...That's him. That's Eric Lillica."

Natsu, the hard headed salamander that he is, charged after him.

"You idiot! What are you doing?!" Lucy screamed at him.

He needed to rest! His mind might be ready to fight, but his body defiantly wasn't. No matter how much Natsu didn't want to admit it, Leo did take a toll on his energy.

"I'll deal with this bastard!" The Salamander drew his ignited fist back and swung it forward, only to have his fist caught.

"You stupid dragon slayer...You can't beat me. Nobody can. Not anymore." Eric's eyes went dark and his lips curved into a wicked grin.

"How about I give you a taste of my true power, beautiful!" He closed his hand around Natsu's fist. The horrible sound of his bones breaking and now painful screams pierced everyone's ears.

"Nggghh...You think... That's gonna stop me?" He attempted to launch his fist into the air and straight for Eric's head, only to also have that caught too!

"Tsktsktsk...you fool, didn't I just say nobody can beat me?" He gripped Natsu's leg, also crushing it, then proceeded to raise him up by his arm and leg.

"Here...Let me show you how easily I can break a dragon slayer."

Erza raced over, now fully Requipt in her Black Wing Armor, that magnificent blade appearing in her hands said _'Ass kicking time.'_

She pushed off into the air, flying like a bat outta hell towards Eric.

"Leave him alone!" Erza cried out, but Eric didn't, he raised Natsu above his knee.

"How about ...No!"

Eric slammed Natsu's back onto his knee, his spine feeling like it was just snapped in half. The sound was like someone had just bitten right into an apple. Natsu coughed up blood as he was thrown to the side like a rag doll.

All this was so fast. Eric had done all of that and still had time before Erza attacked.

She anchored her sword back and slug it at him.

He jumped back with ease, dodging it, only by an inch.

"Heh...Nice try Titania!"

Eric took hold of the base of her sword, ripping it out of her hands and using her own weapon to send her flying into the air.

"I should have joined the Little Leagues ehh? Hahaha!" Eric snorted like this was all some kind of Joke.

Lucy was baffled as to what she should do. Both her team mates were stronger than her and he took them out like it was nothing. She was frightened... How could she defeat him by herself?

Then it hit her. _'I still have Mavis's power within me...'_ This idea gave her, her confidence again.

Lucy smirked at Eric, who was a bit surprised she did so.

"You can beat me down all you want... But don't touch my friends...AND DON'T TOUCH LOKE! THEY ALWAYS SAVED ME! NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO SAVE THEM!"

Lucy's body began to glow white, she closed her eyes tightly. The power she gave off caused a high wind that whipped her golden blonde locks around. Her dress was now also pearly white, but now more powerful. She had no doubt in her mind that she could do this. She would stop at nothing to protect the people she loved. _Even if it killed her._

 _Meanwhile,_ Loke was brought into the main hall of the House of the lion. His mother by his side.

"Loke, be strong my love. We will fix you up."

As he lay there barely conscious, a distressed look grew across his face. He was gritting his teeth. His mother looked at him, was it pain? She had never been signed to a key before, so was unsure what it felt like to be linked to a human.

"The kid is linked to his owners soul. If she is weak willed, so is he."

A tall, older and much fiercer looking lion walked in, he had armour on, but it was less brutish than the armour Loke wore in his recent fight. He had longer hair and sharp, piercing hazel eyes. This was Leo's father.

"Why did you go and use your grandfather's armour, kid? Are you some kind of a fool?"

Selene snapped at him. "I gave it to him as a last resort. Look at it."

She yanked the cufflink off the sleeve of his jacket which was on the side and put it in his hand. "This isn't blood on it, it's venom... I think Lilith activated it, leaving him no choice. "

The male laughed,

"And now look at him... Laying on his back. Son, get up. You have a job to do. Protect your owner. _She is weak._ "

Loke's eyes snapped open at this remark. He stared right up into his father's eyes angrily. He sat up and grabbed the front of his father's robe and yanked him down towards his face.

"Lucy is _NOT_ weak." His chest heaved, putting all his energy into his grasp.

"She is _far_ from weak. She is the strongest, kindest human I've ever met and I'll be _damned_ if you speak a bad word about her."

Selene took Loke's wrist and looked kindly at her son.

"Your father is just keeping you in your place Son, if you accept her this way, then so will we. You need to rest..."

Aquarius was listening to the whole thing, the other spirits had snuck in and were all stood at the door.

The mermaid spoke up.

"Leo... "

The lion glanced around and let go of his father's robe.

"Aquarius? ... Everyone?"

The mermaid floated on in and grabbed his tie, yanking him up.

"Excuse the intrusion... I know you care for Lucy, but so do all of us... If you hurt her, don't think your fellow zodiacs will forgive you. Especially _me_ ". She didn't want him trying anything stupid like the armour again.

His eyes met hers, and he nodded in response.

"If I hurt her, I don't want you to forgive me..."

She released her grasp on him and looked at the others.

"...Well then... As Lucy's spirits, and under your Zodiac command, you have our blessing. However we will continue to always listen to Lucy's command over yours..."

Loke went to speak, but they all went quiet for a moment, their attention had been drawn away. Their owner's voice called out to them.

"Lucy..."

They all muttered.

Loke coughed, "What is she doing!?"

The spirits looked helplessly at each other for a moment, before looking back to their leader.

Lucy was so sick and tired of being saved by everyone. By Natsu, Erza, Gray, even Juvia! And defiantly Loke!

She wanted nothing more than to defeat Eric so they didn't have to endure anymore pain and suffering.

"I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO HURT ANYONE EVER AGAIN ERIC!" The mage roared out, cracking her whip, and allowing Mavis's magic to be released into it.

Her mind was made up.

Obviously Eric was holding back the last time, so she had no choice in the matter. Lucy took a moment to remember the day she joined Fairy Tail. The craziness of it all. She would miss that. Her mind rolled through the happy memories, but one memory in particular played out like a movie in her head. The night she saved Loke. He was so ready to give up, just because of a guilt he shouldn't have bared...She never thought they would end up together.

Lucy took a deep breathe, then released all her hatred. Mavis made it clear that to use this ability she couldn't use it with rage.

It was silent now, all eyes on Lucy. A Leo symbol appeared on her upper right breast, now in her Leo/Mavis transformation, thanks to her star dress.

She stepped closer to Eric, who still had a smug grin on his face.

"You think a little light is going to scare me? Remember what happened last time? It was that damn cat who had to come to your rescue-"

Lucy held her hand up and pointed at him.

"I may be weak, but what you've failed to realize is I know your weakness..."

She closed her eyes, and in the most graceful way, snapped her fingers. Right before Eric's eyes appeared his sister's silhouette.

"Karen...Your sister..."

Eric's eyes bulged out, taking a step back. "Don't...Don't you dare!" He fumbled backwards some more, Lucy inching closer and closer now.

While in her Leo/Mavis form, Mavis's magic allowed Lucy to reach into Loke's memories and use Eric's mind control against him. A taste of his own medicine.

His eye's watered, seeing the little lamb appear, and how poorly Karen treated her, then Loke appeared, trying to reason with his former key holder.

"No...no...THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED!" Unfortunately Eric refused to believe what he saw before him. He was stubborn, stupid and had his heart fully set on revenge. It had painted over his view and blinded him from the truth.

Lucy had hoped he would believe her and this would all be over. Now she definitely had no choice in the matter.

"Fine. You don't want to believe it…." She hesitated slightly. "...Then, I guess this is my last resort..." The mage now stood toe to toe with Eric.

She placed her hands on his face and spoke through her keys one last time.

"I've had great times with all of you. Thank you for being by my side when I needed you... And most of all, thank you for being my friends. I'll never forget you...and... Loke…"

She smiled, raising her head to the sky,

"I love you with all my heart...!"

Lucy gripped Eric's cheeks tighter, absorbing his magic energy, which was mainly the Lacroma of Zeref.

Her voice was starting to choke up. "P-please… Don't ever forget me..."

The toxic mixture shot through her nervous system and sent her flying back, crashing into the steps, rolling back down…

Eric dropped to his knees, he was drained, not dead, but it would take some time for him to recover. His skin pale and magicless...

However, Lucy was barely conscious, blood dribbled from her mouth, only a faint sign of a heart beat remained pattering against her chest.

Suddenly, A tremendous blast of golden and white light appeared around Lucy, momentarily blinding everyone.

There around her, stood all of her spirits, Gold and silver, big and small. They all summoned themselves using their own magic and were all teary eyed.

In the middle, on his knees beside her was Loke. He hadn't recovered very much at all but what was the point of recovering when his princess was suffering so much more.

"Lucy!?" Loke stuttered. "Please..."

The other spirits had formed a wall around, trying to keep Eric getting any further to her. They tried to keep strong but were holding back more tears.

Lucy heard the faint melancholy muffles of her spirits. Then a soothing deep voice called out her name. It reminded her of a sakura blossom, slowly dancing in the warm summer wind to the gentle chime of a piano in the distance. It made her feel peaceful.

It was her one and only lion, Loke. He scooped her up into his arms carefully, trying not to hurt his lioness, but her body ached all over. He moved her hair gently out of her eyes.

She coughed up blood, choking on it, causing her to cringe and writhe in pain. Her nervous system had erupted from the combined Lacroma's...

 _'This is it...isn't it?'_ Her vision was phasing between light and dark.

Lucy managed to tilt her head up to Loke's view. The look on her lovers face was desperate and heart breaking.

His eyes glistened with the start of tears, and the way his bottom lip quivered made her eyes also fill with tears. She, ever so gently, lifted one hand to his face, cupping his cheek.

Loke's eyes shimmered, as he lowered his gaze to hers. His dry lips parted as his chest heaved. She smiled at him as if everything was okay, running her thumb tenderly across his cheek before speaking with a quiet, peaceful, but raspy tone.

"Loke...My love.."

She coughed up more blood, squeezing her eyes shut for just a moment to gather her thoughts again. Her pearl white skin was losing its heat with every drawn out breath.

"...I'll always be with you..."

Her lips curved into a small tender smile.

"-When the rain falls, When the wind blows...When the stars shine and when the shadows loom. In every sign just search for my voice and I'll be there...I promise… Don't let guilt hold you back from being happy again… Y-Your friends will always.. be there for you… "

"L-Lucy… You made me a promise you'd not leave…" He muttered, his heavy heart shattering in two. He swallowed down a lump in his throat,

"...Lucy?"

She choked out once more, her vision blurred from the excessive amount of blood loss and excruciating pain. Her head slowly rolled back, as she closed her eyes, whispering.

"I love you...Loke..."

The mage's arm fell from his face and landed on the ground.

The faint patter in her chest slowly faded into nothingness.

Her skin grew cold.

Lucy Heartfillia was no more...

 **[[ Authors note: Oh my god. Don't hurt me! Give me your thoughts. ;) ]]**


	18. Chapter 18: When Angels Cry

**Chapter Eighteen - When Angels cry.**

Some say each raindrop is the tear of an angel. Rain seems to make an appearance just when you feel like the world is crushing down on you, and when your heart breaks, leaving you alone. Others will tell you that love is the only thing that keeps you from feeling alone. No matter how you look at it, there is nothing more painful than losing those close to you. Family, friend or lover.

None the less, the Heavens opened above the broken building scattering those cold angelic tears down onto the sobbing Fairy Tail members and celestial spirits. Nirvana faded away like the light of the sun. Lucy had stopped Nirvana from destroying everything, but at such a cost, it took her life away. She was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her friends at Fairy Tail, her spirits and her lover from further harm.

"Lucy..." The lion cried out in desperation. He gritted his teeth.

"Don't you dare leave me alone..." Tears cascaded down his cheeks, his chest heaved through painful sharp sobs. So many things were flashing through his mind.

From Karen's Cruelty to the day Lucy found out the truth about him, but didn't judge him. She fought for him, and she always fought for him. She was so kind. Loke remembered that was the day he completely fell in love with her...

He remembered the night he jokingly asked her to do a private mission with him and how she agreed on the condition of no funny business... Their first mission, there first night together, the first time he held her hand, kissed her lips, held her in his arms never wanting to let go... He will _never_ be able to do that again.

He felt a lump form in his throat as he held onto her, shaking.

"...Why didn't you let me take your place...?" His warm tears splashed on the ground.

"Why didn't you let me die instead of you..." He choked, placing his hand on hers.

"He wanted me, not you…" The punishing guilt was dwelling up in his stomach, making him feel nauseous.

' _When a spirits owner dies, the contract automatically becomes severed… Until the key falls into a new wizards hands.'_ That ominous voice lurked in the back of her spirits minds, biting at their heels.

They could feel the spirit world try and drag them all back. The lion sat up and with all his might and power stayed put.

"I'M NOT LEAVING! YOU CAN BANISH ME ALL YOU WANT...I'm... I'm not leaving her side..." He looked down at her, removed his shades and wiped his eyes. The spirit world was continuously trying to pull him and the others back, but they all stood their grounds, watching Loke and Lucy with heavy hearts.

The lion was a proud, noble and strong willed spirit who cares deeply about his family, friends and loved ones. But when a lioness dies right before his eyes, it can break him, just like it can break a man.

It wasn't just Loke. Everyone was sobbing. Aquarius had angry tears streaming down her face as she gripped a hold of Scorpio's hand for comfort.

Everyone, including Gajeel and Levy, circled around with Lucy's spirits, sobbing uncontrollably. A very broken Natsu crawled through the crowd and stared down in horror at his friend cradling Lucy, cursing and sobbing all at once.

The lion was completely torn up inside. He felt sick. He thought this feeling of losing someone would be similar to what he felt when Karen had died... But this was a lot more painful.

It felt to him like Eric had walked over and ripped his heart right out of his chest then stomped on it in front of him. He was getting a headache from his tears.

Natsu parted his lips, about to speak when a new bright blinding light covered every inch of the building. The rain had stopped in the light.

An angelic blonde walked through the doors. From behind you could see new life. Colorful flowers dance over everyone's eyes, and the tree's stood back as tall as ever. It was Mavis Vermillion.

Everyone cleared a path for her as she strolled over to the torn up Lion and knelt down.

"After Lucy's bravery, I can restore her life back, but it may take some time, Leo.." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll need everyone's help to do so..."

The lion held onto Lucy's hand tightly. Loke felt his heart jump into his throat as she spoke. He turned to Mavis, all teary eyed.

"I'll do anything to help...Please..." He begged, desperately. The other spirits nodded and offered to help, wiping tears from their own eyes. "I'd give her the light of all my stars if I had too.."

Mavis smiled kindly down at him.

"I need everyone here to replay each memory they've ever had with Lucy so I can connect them back with her memory and soul..." She looked Leo dead in the eye.

"I need you to open your soul. Tell her how much she will be missed. Can you do that Leo?"

Mavis had worry in her eyes. She truly cared for Lucy, and all of Fairy Tail, but after being connected with Lucy by the Lacroma, she saw how passionate Lucy was. It reminded her of herself, years and years ago.

He gritted his teeth, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"...If it's for Lucy.. I will do anything to save her..."

Loke was once told spirits technically didn't have souls, but they still had feelings and memories. Whatever Bixlow said about his lack of a soul didn't feel right to him. Having feelings and memories felt more like a soul than whatever a soul might actually be.

His mind was hazy from crying so hard. He looked at Mavis in the eyes and gulped. There was a fiery passion in his red, puffy eyes.

"Tell me how..." He clenched his fist, and looked back at Lucy. "Tell me how to Open my soul… If I have one… and I will replay everything... I cherish every moment with Lucy, nothing has been forgotten..."

Mavis placed her hands against Lucy's chest, looking down upon her limp body.

"Everything with a conscience has a soul Leo…"

Her hands lit with a yellow light "...You have to express your true feelings..And don't hold back, the more you speak, the more you pour your heart out, the quicker she will heal."

One hand slid over and took Loke's, pulling it back to where her hand was. "Are you ready?"

Loke took her hand and nodded. "I'm ready..."

Mavis glanced at everyone else. "Are you all ready?"

They all nodded slowly, wiping tears away.

He could feel the warmth of Mavis's power go through him. He felt his eyes well up again.

"Lucy... " His memories came flooding back. Everything he was just thinking about and more.

"Please come back to me.. You are the reason I'm here in the first place. I've never in my life met a celestial wizard- No, a person as kind and as loving as you. You are caring. You listened to me and sought me out to thank me for returning your keys, even after I kept avoiding you like a jerk. To be honest I was afraid of you. Afraid of what you'd think of me if you learned the truth..."

He shut his eyes tightly, tears dropping down onto his suit.

"But you stayed with me and changed the very law itself to see me live... You risked your own life, summoned all your spirits just for me... I thought I didn't deserve to live but you showed me and the stars themselves that everyone deserves a second chance to live. No one should wallow on their mistakes and hide away from their problems... It was when I realised how amazing you really are... I realised I had fallen completely and utterly in love with you and couldn't stop thinking about you..."

He lowered his head, choking up a bit...

" I .. tried to be there to save you when you needed help, even if you didn't summon me... Like the fight with Bixlow... I wasn't lying that day Lucy... Love makes us stronger... I've never felt more alive than when I am with you..."

He was shaking a bit, remembering all of this.

"You tried to send be back when I had to fight aries out of consideration and cried when we were hurt... You..."

He took a breath, warm tears fell from his face.

"Despite all the times I pissed you off, or said something to embarrass you, you still smiled when I appeared when you least expected it. I'm sorry for being a pervert at times, and hitting on other women… I honestly never thought I stood a chance with you."

He wiped his eyes, continuing to pour out his heart to her.

"You agreed to go on a private mission with me just to cheer me up... You didn't want to eat your breakfast muffin so I took it with us... " A small but pained smile appeared on his lips.

"So you snatched it out of my hand and ate it... The tea.. the way we fought the bandits together... The way you fell asleep on the train on my shoulder... and when you forced half the reward money onto me... I snuck it back into your bag when I kissed your neck and closed my gate..." he chuckled slightly,

"...Your confused little smile warmed my heart... I made you breakfast ... The pancakes... I offered to cook you lasagna for dinner... And we took another mission together... You yelled at everyone and got what you wanted... I love that fiery passion of yours.. "

He smiled.

"I embarrassed you on the train with my ray of love, I leapt over a river with you in my arms, we fought off the guards and ...Eric..."

He gulped at that last part.

"Then you got shot... I thought I'd lost you forever when you fell off that cliff... I felt so scared I jumped off after you. I can't let you go... Where ever you go, I go. "

He looked down at her. "When you were alright, we had our first kiss in that rain... and you... "

He got teary again.

"You told me you loved me too much to leave..."

His lips were shaking with those last words... It was like he could feel that cold rain again, stabbing at his back. His hand was trembling as he broke down. He had so much more to say but couldn't fathom the words to his lips.

"I love you too much to leave your side...So please... Come back to me..." he mumbled.

Mavis's light was intense as Loke spoke his sweet words to Lucy. The other spirits and Lucy's friends also followed along, reminding Lucy of their past with her...including Aquarius who was choking back sobs. It hit her about as hard as it hit Leo.

A few moments after Loke spoke his last words, there was a faint flutter of a sound,

' _Thump Thump'_

The room was so quiet, the gentle beat of her heart beat chimed across the room.

Her heart beat bumped against Loke's hand. Lucy's chest moved slightly, but she was still unconscious. She was breathing again. A faint smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

The light faded and Mavis rose to her feet.

"Loke...You've done more than needed...but I spoke to Lucy while you all talked to her. She had one wish, and now because you've poured your heart out and completely opened your soul, her wish can come true..."

Loke froze up, feeling the thump. He bit his lip and shut his eyes.

"Lucy..." He mumbled, happily.

His tears dropped onto her. He held his head against her chest, hearing that beautiful heart beat.

"Thank you Mavis... What was her wish?" He had a hold of Lucy's hand tightly.

She slowly began to fade away, but before she did, replied. "To be with you forever of course..."

He broke into a tearful smile as he wrapped his arms around her. He rested his head on her shoulder.

"Her wish shall be granted..." He muttered into Lucy's ear. "I'll Always stay by your side... I'll always find a way, I promise you that..." He closed his eyes.

Everyone let out tearful cheers. Gray and Juvia had watched the whole ordeal and even Juvia had broken down into sobs. Everyone stood over them. Natsu and Happy were in solid tears hugging each other, Erza put her hand on his shoulder then hugged him tightly, causing him to squirm. She let him go, apologising that she forgot how injured he was. Levy jumped into Gajeel's arms happily and hugged him out of relief.

Loke had a hold of Lucy's hand, and slipped the ring off.

 _'It's too big for where It should go'_ He smiled warmly into the crook of her neck as he thought to himself.

Nirvana was finally over. Eric finally gained consciousness...and placed straight in the hands of the council and was put under maximum lock down, with Jellal's help. He was beaten senseless before hand though…

Ashton finally came to his senses...He went back to his father who was oh so happy to finally have his son back.

But Lucy had entered a comatose state after being revived. She was lying in a bed in the back section of the guild. A whole week had passed since Nirvana, but it felt like forever to everyone else, especially Loke who still refused to leave her side.

Her friends came to visit and check up on them. They congratulated them both on stopping Nirvana and brought in fresh flowers for Lucy.

Natsu had been healed up and was met back at the guild by a very grateful Lisanna, who helped tend Lucy's injuries throughout the week with Mira.

Lucy lay with a smile on her face the entire week, slowly gathering her strength, blissfully unaware that she had saved the world.

 **[[ I couldn't leave you all hanging for another week. I was too excited. Want more LoLu? Well you're in luck ;) ]]**


	19. Chapter 19: Paradise

A whole week had passed, and Loke had not gone back to the spirit world since returning to see Lucy defeat Eric, but at a large cost. He was still recovering his strength from his fight with Natsu, and Lilith.

He had dark bags under his eyes and had managed to fall asleep on a chair next to her bedside due to exhaustion. He'd been up for 3 days straight. He was leaning against the side of his chair with his hand on his palm. There were flowers all around her bedside, and cards filled with kind and loving notes. Loke looked a mess. His shirt was un-tucked and creased.

"Zzzzz..."

Lucy was slowly regaining consciousness. Her eyes creaked open and a muffled groan escaped her lips.

"Ngghh.." The mage's eyes fell over to where Loke sat. She was extremely confused.

 _'What happened? Did we stop Nirvana?'_ Her head was spinning.

Lucy reached her hand out to him and placed it on his knee.

"Loke..."

The lion rubbed his eyes, subconsciously putting his hand on hers.

"Nngh.. Lucy ... "

He opened his heavy eyes sleepily. It took him a moment to realise.

"...Wait, You're awake!?" He sat bolt upright and hit his head on the shelf that was above her bed side. He rubbed his head and smiled at her, slightly dazed.

"I'm so glad you're awake. It's been over a week..."

"A week?.. What happen-" she trailed off, thinking back. Mavis's voice echoed in her head

 _'Your wish has been granted'_ and she remembered everything clearly now.

Lucy shot up and looked down at her palms and traced every inch of her skin. She pinched herself, making sure this wasn't a hallucination.

Her eyes met her lions. "I thought...I was...-"

Loke caught her off guard and embraced her, gripping her shirt.

"But..how?..." She muttered.

He gripped onto her, holding her closely. "You did... But Mavis came... and we all brought you back..." He gulped down. Loke looked at her closely. His eyes were dark, he was feeling a little low on energy, still he would of kept this up until she woke up, even if it took 3 years or so. He wasn't going to leave her side.

Lucy held onto him for dear life. She had missed the way he held her and the way he smelled. It was always so intoxicating.

Lucy pulled back and cupped his cheeks. Their eyes met. Immediately Lucy could tell how exhausted he was.

"I'm sorry Loke...I never meant to take it that far, but it was the only way...Please forgive me.."

"I don't want an apology. I just wanted you to be in my arms again.." He mumbled, looking down at her.

His shades were in his pocket of his jacket which was on the back of his chair. His brown and golden eyes gazed down at hers.

"You saved the world, Beautiful. You have no reason to apologise." He smiled softly.

She grinned and locked lips with him and moved her hands from his face and wrapped them around his neck. Through short breaths, she jokingly spoke.

"I guess..mmff- we're both a little reckless-.. Mmmmm?"

He had almost forgotten how sweet she tasted. He savoured it, closing his eyes gently and rested his forehead on hers.

"You are definitely right there, Beautiful." He smiled broadly. His cheeks were starting to ache from smiling so much. He was so glad she was back.

Lucy pulled away from the kiss and stood up, only to fall back down. _'Oooofft!'_ Her legs felt like Jello. She should have known better than to stand up. She has been asleep for a week straight.

A light of gold burst next to the two and a very VERY angry Aquarius appeared, scowling at Lucy.

"You're such an idiot! You go and get yourself killed, making everyone shed tears! I oughta kill you again!" The angered spirit spat as she grit her teeth.

She turned to Leo and snatched him up by his tie.

"And you! You know damn well you need to go back! You're weak! Tsh!" She shoved him back and folded her arms. Aquarius knew Leo wouldn't leave Lucy's side.

"Both of you need to come with me. The spirit king would like a word with you two idiots..."

Loke slumped back down, and looked up at Aquarius. He often forgot how scary she was.

"The old guy wants a word with us?" He blinked.

"Just shut your trap and come with me. I don't want to waste my time standing here with you two when I could be with my, now fiance."

She held out her hand, showing off a large gold ring with a large blue gem on top. Smaller white diamonds surrounded the brim. Her lips curved into a cocky grin.

"Jealous, Lucy?"

Loke rolled his eyes at Aquarius. She's so mean. Poor Lucy. He wondered if she realised yet that his ring wasn't on her thumb anymore. He stood up with his hands in his pockets quickly and looked at Aquarius.

"Well then, lead the way. Like you said, time is of the essence..." He pouted slightly.

He bit his lip slightly, remembering when Lucy summoned her from a muddy puddle to clean some dishes. He was holding back a small snigger from the memory.

Lucy hobbled back up to her feet, leaning against Loke.

"Do you think you can still get me to the spirit world?" She gazed up at her lion. Lucy knew how exhausted he was just by his looks. _'Did me dying really do this big of a toll on him?'_ Her eyes narrowed as Aquarius clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Hurry up you two! I don't have all day!"

He stood up and hugged Lucy, he raised his head, resting on her shoulder calmly.

"I will always get you where you need to be...No matter the cost, no matter the expense. So long as you are here with me, I will be unstoppable."

They shone brightly, and faded back through the gate.

"So long as you are here, I will never give up. Never again." He beamed.

The light vanished and there they stood in a large hall...Once more.

Lucy gripped him tightly. He really did have a way with words didn't he? She smiled and they went through the gate.

"Thank you Loke..."

They stood in a large Hall, only a few steps away from the Spirit kings room. A knot formed in her stomach as they moved closer to the door.

Aquarius was eyeing them every few seconds.

The grip Lucy had on Leo grew tighter, she was scared...because technically... She did die, so why didn't she lose her keys?

Loke could feel her tense up. He looked back at her softly.

"Don't worry... I think he should be more scared of you... You're the only human I know whose yelled at him."

He chuckled, and looked back only to see Aquarius had stopped in front of him and stared right at him. He yelped and jumped back a bit.

"Ahaha... I wonder who she learned that from?" He bit his lip, grinning at Aquarius.

Lucy chuckled softly. "Heh...Maybe you're right." The mage still couldn't help but to still be worried. She could lose her spirits.

Aquarius sighed deeply and pushed open the large golden doors. They strolled into the room. It was pitch black and Aquarius faded into the darkness.

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks as her heart raced. It nearly burst from her chest.

 _'W-what's going on?'_

 _..._

All of a sudden the lights switched on and all of her spirits jumped from behind furniture.

"SURPRISE!"

Confetti fell from the tall glass ceilings. Each little confetti was shaped like a star. There was a large banner up above the Spirit king that read.

 _'Welcome back Lucy!_ " In bold pink letters.

Happy tears streamed down her face as everyone crowded around her. A huge, thankful smile lit her face.

"Guys..." She wiped away her tears and gripped onto Loke tighter.

"You really know how to make me feel special don't you?" The blonde sniffled.

Loke jumped a little as they all appeared for Lucy. He was as surprised as she was, he'd not been there in a week. He smiled softly. He had lead them well.

It made him happy that his Zodiac friends felt the same way.

"Of course we do. But it's very easy. You are special." He smiled brightly. He already felt a weight off his chest from returning to the spirit world.

Aries stepped in front of her and pulled out a small box.

"So-sorry if we scared you Lucy, we just wanted thank you for caring so much about us...You even risked your life...We will be forever in your debt."

The little ram smiled at her and held out the box.

"Please take this as a token of our appreciation...It's the least we can do.."

Loke looked at what Aries was giving her and tilted his head.

Lucy took the small box in her hands and looked up at Leo with confused eyes, then back to the box.

She ran her thumb across the golden glitter top before sliding it off to a blinding light. _'Hmm..?'_

The light dimmed and there, as plain as day appeared a...Golden card? Lucy looked up a Loke, once again confused. Before he spoke, the spirit king stepped forward and his loud booming voice echoed the room.

"Lucy, this card was specifically made for you. It grants you the ability to visit the spirit for whenever, and for as long as you want, but you must wear this to keep it activated."

He knelt down and handed Lucy a Golden key necklace. It was beautiful. Small diamonds were embedded on the top.

Lucy hobbled forward and hugged the spirit kings index finger, happy tears streaming down her face. "Thank you...Thank you so much, Stash face!"

He laughed awkwardly, and he had never been hugged like that before.

"No worries, Miss Heartfilia!"

Loke stood there staring at it in shock. _'I don't have to steal one anymore...'_ He thought to himself. What a result. He could feel his cheeks and lips curving into a smile beyond his control.

She continued to hug him as he turned to Loke.

"And you Leo...I have something for you as well. "

He quickly came to attention when the king spoke to him.

"Uh-yes sir?" He stepped forward, curiously.

The spirit king held out his other hand and a dropped a Emerald key in his hands.

"This is for the _honeymoon._ You can use it to change her outfit to whatever you desire... If you know what I mean!"

He winked at Leo.

Lucy choked and pulled away. "WHAT?!"

Loke held it, his mouth a jar. For once in his life, he was speechless. He could feel his cheeks darken slightly. The sass of this old man was a real shocker.

Loke lowered his voice to him,

"... Anything I desire, huh?" The two men smirked at each other in a mutual way, and started sniggering.

Lucy glared toward the two pervy men.

"Don't even think about doing it in public!" She snarled, a raging black aura floating above her. Her cheeks puffed out as she crossed her arms.

Loke stood up straight, and smiled tenderly at her. He walked over to her calmly and took her hand from their crossed position.

"I'm sorry, Beautiful. "

He placed a gentle kiss upon her hand. The lion then looked back at the king,

"Hey, Lucy requested some vacation time after the mission was over... Can we grant her that wish too? I think she deserves some rest." He beamed warmly.

Amongst the spirits who were watching were Selene, Loke's mother and his tall, mysterious father. They smiled at the two.

Lucy smirked at Loke and rolled her eyes. She should be used to his crazy ways by now, but eventually she would. Well...maybe.

Lucy noticed Loke's mother Selene, who caused Lucy to lose her train of thought for a brief moment. A tall man stood next to her. He look exactly like Loke, except older with a 5 o'clock shadow. _'Is that...Loke's father?'_ She thought to herself.

The spirit king pondered for a moment, rubbing his fingers through his stash and a big smile appeared on his face.

"I suppose we can grant that wish." He stood tall and crossed his arms.

"Lucy Heartfilia...Celestial mage!"

Lucy winched at the sound that echoed the room.

"Y-yes sir?" She tried her best to stand up straight, her legs still feeling a bit weak.

"By the order of I, the Spirit King, I hereby grant you a total of two months vacation. Leave all the expenses to me. It's the least I can do." He smiled a big cheesy grin, followed by Lucy returning one as well.

"Thanks again stash face. You rock." She raised her hand and gave him a cheerful thumbs up.

 _'Alright two months?! This should be fun...hehehe...'_

Loke's smile widened.

"Alright! Thanks man."

He looked at Lucy. "I hope you don't mind if I join you."

He grinned. "Don't worry old man, I can cover my own expenses." He chuckled.

Aquarius rolled her eyes at him, _'Out of all the human men she could have as her boyfriend, the lion prince sweeps her off her feet.'_ She sighed. She still wasn't happy about it but accepted it for Lucy's sake.

"Sir, will you be needing any assistance preparing?" Capricorn asked.

Loke smiled at him, "I'll be fine, buddy. "

Selene had a grin across her face, which the male next to her noticed.

He looked over at Lucy, with a smirk spreading across his lips.

"Seems he was right, she was stronger than she looks... And more beautiful-" he was suddenly jabbed in the side with an elbow. "Hyaa!"

"Don't even think about it, dear" Selene chuckled, making it look like nothing happened.

"Leo, please don't forget your duties when traveling with your beautiful key holder." The king added.

"I'll never forget. Don't worry." Loke nodded and took a hold of Lucy's hand.

Lucy gripped Loke's hand and smiled.

"So where are we going anyway?" She tilted her head at him. You could tell she was happy. The way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him. Lucy Heartfilia was in love... _'I wish you could meet him mom...dad..'_

"I have a few places I wish to show you. I think the Spirits and I all agreed on one place a while ago. But we'll get to that when we get there."

He smiled warmly back at her, before turning his glance to the king.

"Let's start this now."

The king nodded back and filled the room with light.

Soon the air felt warm, gentle and refreshing. There was the faint sound of birds chirping with brilliant sunshine beaming down onto their skin. There was a gentle crash of waves and the squishy feeling of sand beneath their feet. Palm trees swayed in the breeze. This was a tropical island, you could see the horizon vanish in the distance, over the sapphire ocean.

"First stop... Paradise..." The lion purred. His voice was silky as ever.

Lucy held onto her lion as they both vanished and then reappeared in paradise. Her eyes widened over the warm painted horizon. It was absolutely breath taking.

A gentle breeze whipped through her golden locks. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, breathing in the glorious scent of the salt water, and listened closely to the sound of the calm waves crashing onto the shore.

As she exhaled, Lucy narrowed her eyes back to the man who held her close, the man whom she loved dearly.

"Loke this is magnificent." She beamed and tilted her head back and pushed her heels off the ground, inching closer to him.

"I have to be the luckiest girl in the world. Thank you for everything." Her lips met his rosey cheek for a brief moment.

"I love you Loke...and I always will."

The smug lion held onto her with a cheesy grin plastered across his face.

"It was nothin' really! You've saved us on more than one occasion, it's the least we could do for you." Loke meant his words.

Lucy's bashful gaze must have been noticeable. The way he stared back at her and the way those sweet words of his rolled off his tongue brought joy to Lucy's heart. "I would do anything I could to protect my spirits. You all are very dear to me."

The spirits were immortal, so putting themselves through peril was just part of the job, but when a human risks their life to save their friends from harm, it means the world to the spirits.

It meant the world to Leo. He cast his gaze down to her.

"This island is more than it looks. Think of it as sacred celestial grounds... Or our holiday home in the human world. There is a permanent gate here where we cross over to pay our respects..."

Her eyes glistened as he pulled her along the smooth pebbled walkway. It almost massaged her feet. "Pay your respects?" She mumbled _'What does that mean?'_

Loke looked around.

"Anyway, we should go find where we are staying and get you acquainted with the lovely hotel staff!"

He lead her off the beach and followed a pebbled path up a road. He glanced back at her with a smile.

"I know I've not provided the best view of myself in the past with the fan club... and stuff.. But I must say..."

He looked back to the path as they walked, before turning his gaze towards the sky.

"I have never loved someone like this before... I often found myself annoyed because I realised I had been thinking about you in my meetings with the king, and even more so when I realised I'd been thinking about you all day. " He sighed.

"The others told me to stop daydreaming." He chuckled.

"I'm completely devoted to you, Lucy..." He closed his eyes as he tilted his head to the sky, basking in the warmth of the sun.

She raised her brow curiously as he began to speak, but was stopped and hit by a wave of emotion.

He did it again. These words were even sweeter. That boy had a grip on her heart that nobody could loosen. Her lips curved into a gentle smile.

"I don't care about the past girls...I know you love me by the way you look me dead in the eyes. You never did that with any of the others..."

Lucy tugged on his hand, stopping him in the middle of the path.

"I also can't take you off my mind..." She brushed away a tear from her duct and moved in closer.

"They say that only fools rush into love, but I couldn't stop myself from falling completely head over heels in love with you..." Her heels left the ground once more as she leaned up, their lips only an inch apart. "I'm forever yours my Prince"

Loke felt warm, warmed by her words.

"I didn't rush into love. I'd loved you since the day we all found out the truth about you. " He looked down at her.

"I thought I was the only one in Fairy Tail with secrets, but there you were being free. You ran away to Fairy Tail just like I did..." He tilted his head.

"I was just too afraid to speak to you." He laughed.

"Its stupid really... I should of known from the moment we met that you'd be the one to turn my life upside down for the better."

He enjoyed his days living life as a mortal, being stuck down on Earth taught him to respect the living. The members of Fairy Tail live their days like it were their last at every moment.

Being back in the spirit world was like being back at work.

He had to get back to his responsibilities as Zodiac leader. He had to know where he stood in that world.

But still, he couldn't look past a life without Lucy. She was his world now. Ever since being contracted to her, he always endeavored to do his best for her. That's why he fought so hard to save her against Capricorn on Tenrou island.

Loke swooped her down into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss.

"But I can't deny it now. I can't see my life without you Lucy. My soul will always belong to you."

 _Soul..._ He was recently told everything conscious and living that has feelings has a soul... Despite being told that as a spirit he didn't have one.

He ran his fingers through her hair gently and grinned at her.

"COOOOEEEEEYYYYY!" A cheerful voice yelled, waving a napkin.

"Leo! Is that you?" The older woman cheered. She had bright pink hair and looked soft and cuddly. This was a relative of Aries.

"Hotel is thiiiiis waaay!" she chanted.

Lucy was about to respond when a pink haired women, called out for them.

"We'll finish this conversation later." Lucy smiled and took his hand in hers.

"Come on, let's go get settled."

Loke nodded. "That's a fine idea, beautiful!" He took her hand and lead her into the hotel.

There was a lot of white marble, with a slight hint of gold laced around the edges of this buildings interiors. These spirits sure know how to make grand buildings. Then again they've had plenty of practice and time to do so! The building had a greek theme with pillars in the hallway, like most buildings in the spirit world.

"I am here to show you around, Miss Lucy!" The ram bleated happily.

"Please follow me to your room, there are only a few others staying here currently but they will not get in your way. " She smiled confidently.

Loke looked around, "This place has changed since I was here last..."

The ram laughed, "Well you were only a little cub back then, Leo."

Loke pouted, "...You have a good point." Who knows how long ago that was, Loke had lost count.

The spirits never failed to amaze Lucy. The building was absolutely stunning. The marble flooring was so pearly and shiny that she could almost see her reflection.

Lucy smiled at the little ram. "Thank you, you're too kind."

She lead them into a large room. It had to be ten times bigger than her apartment itself.

The first thing Lucy noticed was the big cloud like bed. A big pervy smile crept up on her face thinking about them being all alone in this big room..

 _'Heheh-...wait! His pervertedness has rubbed off on me! Damn that lion!'_

Loke walked into the room with a broad smile plastered across his lips, his hands had casually slipped into his pockets and the door shut behind them.

"...I could do such dirty things to Lucy here..." He muttered quietly with a snigger, before snapping to the realisation that he had said that out loud.

He stood there frozen solid behind her, hoping she hadn't heard him. He bit his lip. "..." He felt fear..

Lucy stared at Leo with wide eyes. She was ready to smack him, but the little ram interrupted.

"I-I hope you both enjoy your stay."

Her face turned 50 different shades of red in a matter of seconds. Apparently she also heard Loke..

"Ahah...hah.." Loke choked, awkwardly. He felt like he was about to start to sweat.

As she left, Lucy punched him in the arm.

"You better be glad I love you, or else you would have gotten much worse than a punch in the arm!"

He flinched expecting more, then peeked his eye open. He looked at her sheepishly then smiled lightly. "I am glad there are no objections.." He winked.

Lucy's face turned red. She bit down on her lower lip and turned away.

"W-Whatever...I'm gonna go take a quick shower..." The flustered mage sat down on the edge of the bed and removed her shoes, setting them to the side.

She reached up and stretched. "Nggghh.."

Lucy stood up and skimmed the room. "Uhh Loke...Where is the bathroom?"

He walked over and wrapped his arms around her and scooped her squealed as he swooped her up.

"Allow me to show you..." He walked her through the room and towards a large door. He pushed it open with his foot, revealing a large walk in bath.

He had a very charming, smug grin on his face.

"This one is private to your room...All for you..."

There were pretty plants and a small waterfall pouring warm, glorious smelling water into the bath, creating a slight warm haze that fogged Loke's shades as he entered the room.

"Then there is a normal bathroom in that room across from here" He chuckled.

As they entered the bathroom, Lucy beamed and clasped her hands together.

"Seriously?!" She gazed up at him with a sparkle in her eye and a big goofy grin plastered across her face. It was obvious she was a bit too excited.

Soon enough, her goofy grin turned into a pervy grin. "Hey Loke...wanna join me?"

"Did you need to ask that Lucy?" He smirked down at her with a broad smile. He looked down at her in his arms.

"I would love to join you." His grin grew wider.


	20. Chapter 20: The Bath

**Chapter Twenty: The Bath**

The islands bathhouses are a glorious place to be, and you are lucky to be able to use them. A warm mist pours out from the natural rock formations and they are heated with volcanic waters. There was the faint delightful smell of flowers which lingered in the warm air. Plant life and vegetation which bloomed with flowers and life decorated the far end, where the water was replenished, leaving the huge surface of the water fresh and clean.

The mist had fogged up Loke's shades and meant he had to remove them as he walked into the room, with Lucy in his arms.

Lucy leaned up a bit and gave Loke a quick kiss on his cheek before hopping down from his arms.

"Well then, shouldn't you get undressed?" She smirked and began to unbutton her jeans.

"Is that an order?" He said with his hands slowly undoing his tie, giving her a lustful glance.

"This resort is supposed to relax you..." He smirked gently, the light catching the corners of his eyes.

Lucy spun around and raised an eyebrow at him.

"It is an order. Take it off...Without using your magic.." She demanded as she slowly slid her jeans down, her eyes never leaving his for a moment.

"Like what you see?"

Loke smirked at her, and tilted his head. ' _Without his magic huh? How very human.'_

"As you wish, Lucy..." He grinned at her demands, admiring her physique as she removed her jeans. He slid his tie off and flicked it behind him and started to unbutton his shirt.

"I do like what I see..." He said, staring at her beauty.

"Oh and trust me...You will be relaxed." Lucy said in a low seductive tone before gripping the ends of her shirt.

She processed to slip her shirt off and toss it to the side.

"Hmm.." Her eyes trailed down to Loke's belt and a brilliant idea popped into her head.

She swiftly glided towards her lion and hooked her fingers on the waistline of his trousers.

"Loke darling...Could you help me undo my bra? It's extremely uncomfortable...and I could return the favor by..."

She jerked him by his waistline and pulled him closer.

"By removing your lower attire."

Had Leo's charming ways really rubbed off on Lucy? Or did he awaken something inside of her? The blond wasn't too sure. But what she was sure about was her feelings towards her lion.

Loke gulped slightly at her response and raised his arms. He slipped them around her back.

She was never this forward, what had he done to her? He loved it no doubt, but it still surprised him.

He flicked his finger upwards on the back hooks of her bra and allowed it to pop open and fall down. He had that smug grin form over his lips. He couldn't help it.

"What a good idea, Lucy..."

Lucy traced his belt for a moment as she trailed her eyes up and down his toned body.

"You look quite nice with your shirt unbuttoned..." An even bigger smirk spread across her face as she gracefully unbuckled his belt and flung it across the room.

She pushed back and let her pink & black laced bra fall to the ground. Lucy bit down on her lip, determined to finish what she started.

Just like that, she had already began to unbutton his trousers and inched them down slowly.

She was being especially forward. Had that week long sleep been too long for her, especially when their last attempt was so rudely interrupted by Natsu. Perhaps she was feeling really didn't get much of a chance to have alone time.

The lion's glance lowered to hers, he could feel the blood rush to his cheeks as she began to remove his clothes.

This was pretty new to him, he never did it the normal way, but he liked it. His hands ran down the arch of her back, caressing her curves. Finally his thumbs hooked onto her Lacey underwear. His grin grew wider.

"Why thank you Lucy. Might I add that you are looking as Gorgeous as ever"

His light touch sent shivers up her spine, but she managed to contain herself for the moment.

"Oh thank you Loke.." Lucy's eyes once again examined his finely toned body. She couldn't help but to trace his abs with the tips of her fingers. Everything about him was perfect, and to think...He was all hers.

Loke ran one hand back up her side and gently tilted her chin upwards, so her face was looking up into his. He gently brushed her lips and kissed her, slowly. Their warm breathes clashing against each other.

Meanwhile his other hand was making good use of sliding down those lacy panties. A slight hint of a smirk appeared into the kiss.

Lucy could feel her heart rate rise as he slowly kissed her. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before returning the passionate kiss.

"Mmmff.." A small moan escape her lips from the way he handled her with such care. _'How did I get so lucky'_ she thought.

Not even but a moment later, Lucy lifted one leg and then the other through the holes in her panties, allowing her lion to have full access of her body. It felt like forever since the last time they had touched like this.

She hooked her fingers onto his boxers and slid them down. Lucy couldn't help but to smirk against their sweet kiss. This was definitely _Paradise._

Loke picked her up quickly and propped her around his waist, resting her on his hips as he walked towards the large bath. As they waded through the warm steam, her lion grinned down at her.

"At least none of the guild can burst in on us here..." He said quietly with a calm tone.

Lucy squealed as he hoisted her up onto his waist. Without hesitation, she wrapped her legs around him and ran her fingers up through his hair, slightly gripping it.

She looked up at him, an innocent expression spreading across her face. It was obvious that her shy self was still there.

"Indeed...I'm glad we can finally be alone..." she replied, quietly. It was that adorable tone and innocent expression that Loke grew to adore.

Lucy bit down on her bottom lip and leaned up, her lips brushing against his softly as she slowly and passionately kissed him once again. Oh how she loved those soft lips of his. They drove her crazy.

Loke waded through the water and got to the other side, pressing her against the bath wall, fusing them together.

He tilted his head and trailed his warm lips down her neck. He purred quietly against her skin, unable to stop himself.

His hands now free, since she rested against the wall, went down to caress her back, slowly sliding down her body.

She rested her back against the wall, trying to relax, but her heart wouldn't let her. As soon as his lips met her neck, she couldn't help but to let out a small stuttered moan. "Ngghh...Loke.."

Lucy wiggled her legs trying to calm the heat rising inside of her, but it seemed to just make it worse.

Loke kissed down her neck, caressing her skin with his lips. He trailed down her breasts and his hands took a hold of her hips. He's missed the way her body heated up around him and the way she squirmed at his touch.

"Lucy..." He said through soft kisses. "Why are you so irresistible..?"

Lucy slipped an index finger under her lions chin and tilted his face back up, smiling softly at him. "You're the one that's irresistible. You might be pervy at times, but I'm the one who can't keep my hands off you. It's almost as if I'm addicted to you."

Her smile turned into a smirk as she leaned up and locked lips with him. She ran her hands up and down his back, the proceeded to lightly dig her nails into his shoulder blades.

"Mmmff.."

"Nghh.." Loke gritted his teeth as her nails dug into his skin. He didn't realise how much he liked it.

"Addicted to me huh? Allow me to give you your daily fix then..." Loke replied.

He ran his hands down from her hips and gripped her ass, slightly digging his nails into it. He bit her lip gently and moved his body up against her.

Lucy let out a deep pleasurable moan as he dug his nails into her ass.

"Aahhh..Loke.." She looked up at him with a fiery lust burning in her eyes.

As they kissed, Lucy dragged her nails down his back, craving to hear those desperate moans for pleasure...and needless to say Lucy was willing to do anything just so she could get her lion to his 'breaking point.'

She ran her tongue across his bottom lip begging for entrance. Her dominant side would soon awaken.

Loke pressed her against the side of the bath, arching her body towards his own, closely. He gave her passage to his mouth, but interrupted her tongue with his own, passionately kissing her.

The lion glided his body against hers, his member caressing her lower regions tenderly, and teasingly. The smug lion grinned into the kiss.

 _'Mmh'_ Lucy moaned against the much needed kiss.

Her arousals was obvious once he placed his length against her womanhood, causing her to flinch, now gripping his hair from the back, deepening the kiss.

His teasing actions had driven her to oblivion and back. She needed more of her lion.

So, in a dominant, lion like matter, Lucy jerked him by his hair away from the passionate kiss.

"You tease too much for a lion... I thought you were suppose to be dominant.." She gave him an intense, fierce stare, like a lion ready to pounce on it's prey.

The now annoyed Lucy adjusted her hips as he stood there frozen from her actions.

She placed his tip at her entrance and without any hesitation, Lucy forcibly wrapped her legs around her lion, and bucked up, sliding his hole length deep inside of her tight pulsing walls, moaning deeply.

"Aaahhh... Loke.."

The lion was surprised, but he loved this lioness side of her. He froze as she took control of him. He gritted his teeth as a wave of pleasure took a hold of him as she pushed him into her.

"Ngh- Lucy... You really are a lioness, aren't you?" He stuttered in a silky but pleasured tone. He tightened his grip on her ass and used it as leverage to pull her down onto him further.

The water from the bath washed over them both as they moved together. The room was getting hot and hazy.

"Ngggh...I am your lioness now aren't I?" Lucy smirked, but that expression soon vanished as he began to move in and out of her womanhood.

She could feel his shaft pulsing lightly inside of her, and the way his veins popped out, rubbing against her walls.

"Aahh.." Before even adjusting to his size, his lioness began to grind her hips up against his, throwing her head back and moaning his name repeatedly.

"L-Loke...Loke..ngggh.."

The room was filled with steam, causing the both of them to have damp hair, but it added to the sexiness.

Lucy cranked her head forward again, examining his expressions and the way his moist hair fell over his lustful eyes.

"You are my lioness. " He panted, grinding in time with her body. He could feel her breasts rub against his chest. He loved everything about her. Her laugh, smile, eyes, her golden hair... The way her nose wrinkles up when she gets annoyed, her pink blush...The heat.. Her heat. It was all consuming and was taking him to the moon and back.

"Mnngh..." He stared into her eyes with a glazed, pleasured expression. He leaned towards her, and nipped at her lips with his own.

Lucy tightened her legs around his waist, allowing him to push deeper inside of her. Her bottom lip quivered, but he stopped it with a sweet kiss. Oh how she loved those tender kisses.

She released the grip on his hair and began trailing her hands down his back, then back up again. His skin was smooth. It felt like silk on her fingers and his voice matched perfectly.

Their eyes locked once again. She was trying to read his thoughts. Determination. Happiness, Lust, Dominance, but most importantly...Love.

Lucy felt a breeze roll in from the outside, making her shiver slightly. "Mmmff...Loke...Bed...Wall...Table...Something... NOW!"

He felt her shiver and looked at her with a smirk when she demanded to be moved.

"Alright Beautiful..." He took a firm grip on her and lifted her out of the water in his arms. Her legs Still wrapped around him.

As Lucy held onto him, she nuzzled her face into his neck for a moment, inhaling his intoxicating scent. "Mm.." She began to kiss down his shoulder and up his neck with her soft lips.

The bedroom was magnificent. There was a very majestic tone to this hotel. In the middle of the room was a very large circular bed, with satin and silk bed sheets. The bed was super soft and delightfully comfortably to touch. The room had a pleasant, clean scent.

He walked her towards it, pushing the pillows out with his feet and created a small platform to prop her up. Then he laid her down, and moved back into her gently.

"I'll keep you warm..."

As he laid her on the bed, she felt her body relaxing from how luxurious the bed was.

"Nggh" He had pushed back inside of her causing her to twitch, her heart pounded.

"L-Loke..." Lucy cupped his face and pulled him down into a deep passionate kiss as she began to roll her hips against him, tightening her walls around his member, causing her wetness to flow out against him. "Nggh.."

Loke scooped his arms around her, pulling her body to his. He began to kiss her slowly, enjoying the taste of her rosy lips. Each kiss was gentle, tender and loving.

His breath was staggered as she tightened around him. This angle allowed him to glided freely and deeply into her.

Lucy slipped her tongue into his mouth, savouring his sweetness as she ran her fingers through his hair. She felt his ears twitching and proceeded to rub each ear with her index and thumb. "Mm..Good kitty.."

The lion slowed his movements.

Loke ran his hands out from around her, to gently place them on her cheeks, running his thumbs softly over them.

He gave her a genuinely happy smile, not his usual cool guy smirk. Even in this state of pleasure he couldn't really believe how happy he was feeling that she was alright, that she loved him back.

He placed his forehead on hers for a moment, still smiling.

"Lucy, I know I say it alot… But you really are beautiful.." He closed his eyes happily, then removed his hands, wrapping them around her again and pulling her into a tight embrace, as he moved into her more. He rolled his head as she petted his ears. "Mmnn.."

Lucy's mouth dropped slightly as he spoke to her so sweetly. It nearly brought tears to her eyes. He handled her with such care, making it obvious that he cared more about her than she thought.

As he wrapped his arms around her, she did the same and nuzzled her face back into his neck, grinding up against him.

"Nggh...Loke..." She lightly ran her fingertips across his shoulders, tracing his defined body. His skin was was softly and warm. She felt her eyes growing heavy as they rolled in the back of her head from him pushing deeper, grinding against her sensitive spot. "Aggh..."

The lion could feel her body arch as he went deeper. He rolled his hips against hers, gliding over her sensitive spot further.

"Ngh.." He panted heavily, her tightness, warmth and moisture was intense.

As her lion made love to her, Lucy could feel her climax rising.

"Ahh..." She dug her nails into his shoulders and rolled her hips faster. "Loke..." Lucy panted heavily with flustered cheeks and glossy eyes.

The lions vision was hazy with pleasure. His nails trailed down her back softly, before slowly holding onto her ass under the pillows. This allowed him to move her body up so she was almost sitting up. His lips ran up her neck before gently biting at her lips, begging for entrance. He couldn't hold on much longer. Her body was too good.

Lucy flinched as he grabbed her ass and bit her tender lips.

"Ahhh Loke.." She allowed entrance, now fighting for dominance. He pushed his tongue against hers, causing her to lose the battle. She dragged her nails down his back as he penetrated her warmth lovingly.

"Loke...ah...Loke..." The sounds of their desperate moans, and the sound of him thrusting inside of her filled the room, along with the scent of her sweet arousal.

"L-Loke!" She repeated as she was about to release, but luckily held it back, wanting to release with him.

His grip tightened on her ass, as he broke away from the kiss to breath. He was unable to hold himself back any longer. The way she moved her body against his drove him crazy. His teeth grazed her shoulder as he growled in pleasure. "Argh...Lucy... I can't..." He stuttered. Their hips collided, their hot bodies melded together. This lion was in a state of bliss as he released with her.

"L-Lucy..." he panted heavily, running his hands up her back.

As her lion released inside of her, Lucy arched herself and also released, unable to contain herself anymore. "Ahh! Loke...ngh.." She huffed and inhaled a big breath of air as he collapsed on top of her.

"God...I love you so much..." Loke panted.

He nuzzled his head onto her chest, exhausted. His face was flustered and his arms were wrapped around her tightly. He rolled her over and onto him, stroking her hair, still panting under his breath.

"In all honesty Lucy..." He looked down at her, "I've never been happier than I am with you. What have you done to me?" He smiled warmly.

Lucy looked up into her lions eye that were filled with joy. "I'm glad I can make you happy my Prince.." She leaned up and pecked his lips.

"The feelings are mutual..." Her lips curved into a smirk.

 _"So how about that lasagna huh?"_


	21. Chapter 21: Lasagna at Last!

**Chapter 21 - Lasagna at last!**

Loke and Lucy were on vacation. During their time off they had visited many landmarks on the island, had lovely meals, made friends with the few hotel guests, swam in the ocean at night and enjoyed a lovely bottle of champagne together on the beach. But it was often the littlest of things that make you happy, and Lucy found joy watching her lion strut about confidently in the kitchen.

Lucy was leaning against the counter watching her lion prep for dinner. She wore a mid thigh length silk nightgown and had her hair pulled up into a bun. Lucy couldn't help but to swoon over how delicious he looked just cooking, but at the same time, was memorized by yet another large kitchen. They made her apartment seem so inferior.

"This place is so huge..."

Loke found it very easy to cook without too much thought into it, I mean he's had enough practice.

He looked back at her in the nightgown with a small smirk.

"Damn, your legs are distracting..." He said, staring at them in adoration.

She spat at him "eyy! Less staring more cooking."

She walked up behind him and ran her hands up his back and onto his shoulders, massaging them while he cooked.

"Besides...The sooner you finish, the sooner you can touch my legs all you want."

"Mmm, I like that idea.. Hahaha." He smiled warmly, enjoying the massage, and turned back to continue cooking.

"Mhm..I bet you do." Lucy smirked at him and stood up straight, stretching her arms out.

Even before it hit the oven, the lasagna already looked fantastic.

"You best prepare your taste buds for the best lasagne you've ever eaten, Princess.." His smile turned a little smug.

He put it all in the oven and poured them both a coffee and took a seat with her.

A glorious scent hit her nose. "Mm...oh god that smells delicious...I can't wait." Lucy took a seat with her lion and held onto her cup of coffee, sipping it lightly and staring at him as he spoke. They sat drinking coffee for a while, enjoying it.

"I have somewhere I wish to show you tonight." He grinned, sipping his coffee.

"Eh? And where would that be?" She sat forward and raised her brow in curiosity.

The lion simply smirked, put his coffee down on the table and leaned in.

"Tell me, do you enjoy watching the Sun rise?" He looked down into her hazel eyes, with his own golden ones.

Lucy's mouth widened and then pressed together.

"I actually love that.." Her eyes sparkled with excitement as they met his loving glance.

He smirked wider. "Then I have something much better than that for you..."

He chuckled and stood up as the oven pinged. "But you will need to wait for that, beautiful..."

He removed the now cooked to perfection lasagne out of the oven and put it on a plate for her and himself. Once again it smelt and looked brilliant. The lion served it up for her.

Lucy pouted for a moment until the sweet sound of the oven went off. Her stomach growled in anticipation.

"Oh yum!" She sat back up and looked down at her plate almost drooling from the aroma itself.

Without hesitation, Lucy cut off a piece and placed it in her mouth.

"Mm..mmmmm.." Her eyes closed as she took in all the flavors.

The sauce was seasoned to perfection, and the cheese was oh so gooey. The meat was tender and unlike anything she's ever tasted before.

"Oh- Oh my God...Th-that's what I call a lasagna." Lucy quickly took another bite and slumped down into her seat. "I'm keeping you..."

He laughed,

"And you questioned if a lion could cook. " Loke smiled warmly at her as she enjoyed his cooking. He finally joined her eating.

"As I said, Italian is my speciality." The lion was smug. They sat happily, devouring their meal.

"Alright alright! I admit I assumed too quickly!" She took another bite and gave him a pair of lovey dovey eyes.

"By the way, you know what's coming up right?" Lucy clicked her tongue and savored another bite.

"I'll give you a hint...it's in July..."

He sat back in his chair with a cheeky grin. "Hmmm, my birthday?" He laughed slightly.

"Or perhaps the meteor shower that hits the lands in the south... " he smirked and looked at the ceiling.

"Oii! You idiot!" Lucy balled up her napkin and chucked it at him.

"Guess again! And don't get it wrong!"

He laughed even harder and looked down at her. He took her hand and kissed it softly.

"I know it's your birthday, Princess." Loke smiled and looked up at her.

"How could I forget such a thing?"

Lucy blushed and pulled herself onto his lap, leaning her forehead against his.

"I know I know..." Her left hand clasped over his cheek.

"You know everything about me...and I love it."

He ran his hands up her back to her cheeks. He gently stroked her with his thumbs.

The lion leant in and kissed her lips tenderly.

"I don't know everything... But I intend to learn more about you, Beautiful." Loke's lips curved into a warm smile. The truth was, Loke knew an awful lot about Lucy, but the reality of it was that Lucy didn't know much about Loke at all. The topic didn't crop up much, yet Lucy trusted him entirely. He adored that.

"We should eat up and get ready. I have been waiting to show you this for a long time..." He beamed.

Lucy kissed him back softly and slid back into her chair. "I agree.." She took another bite. "Mmm..."

After finishing the food, Lucy helped Leo with the dishes and strolled back into the bedroom.

"What should I wear Loke?" Lucy pouted.

Loke stood and cleaned his shades with a small silky cloth.

"Hmm, your star dress would be most appropriate for this evening, my Lioness." He propped them back onto his face and smiled at her.

Lucy didn't question his choice in attire and slipped it on, throwing her hair up into a nice bun. "I'm ready." She smiled and linked arms with her lion, blushing slightly.

"Shall we?"

"Let's go, my lady." He winked at her. She sure did look beautiful in the Leo star dress.


	22. Chapter 22: The Golden Gates

**Chapter Twenty two - The golden gates**

The Island Loke and Lucy had stayed on had a warm, comfortable climate at dusk. Copper and Violet filled the skies, and reflected its gorgeous array of light onto the crystal ocean surrounding it.

The suave lion lead Lucy through a field of golden wheat, which crunched gently against their feet. Lucy held her hand out to touch the wheat as she gracefully strolled through, letting the grain glide across her fingertips. It was beautiful here. The pair walked for a short while before reaching a cliff.

You could see the moon and the sky, and a great ocean expanding outwards. The now silver light of the moon shimmered on the horizon, painting out the curve of the earth in the distance.

"This is an amazing place... But it's beyond here that I wish to show you... I don't want you to be scared. " he smiled at the blonde, taking her hand.

"I am going to open a gate back to the spirit world. Like I said, this island is where we pay our respects, but it is mainly a gateway itself."

Before them, a golden gate appears at Leo's presence and opens. The lion steps towards and leads her on.

"Do you wish to see what lies beyond the gate?"

Lucy was baffled by the glorious view right before her eyes. She couldn't stop staring, but managed to still listen to her lion.

"This... Is where you pay respects?" She looked over at him blinking and then back and the view, only to see a golden gate. Lucy was a bit nervous... But definitely curious.

"I do.." The lion smiled at her and adjusted his glasses as they both began to walk through the gate.

They entered the gateway, where space and time grew vast and infinite, the sky was filled with a million stars but right in front of them was one gloriously beautiful star... It was the Earth.

It was even more beautiful than Lucy imaged. "Woow.." The earth looked so gorgeous from this view.

Leo had paused, and stood on a crystal pathway,

"It's where we pay respects to our owners… Past, current and future." He said, staring out at the Earth.

"No normal celestial mage has ever been allowed to come to the spirit world, let alone come here. Our gift to you is knowledge. The knowledge that we worship our owners and never forget them... "

Along the crystallised path that floated in the dark sky were relics, with angels on them.

"Its pretty creepy actually... But in a weird way the spirits felt you should see this... "

They walked towards a large angel and the lion stopped.

"Do you know whose this is?" He looked at her, hands in his pockets. Within the crystals, stars behind shone through words, casting a colourful array. It was beautiful.

 _'Layla'._

She felt superior having walked into this place, but then it hit her. It was like standing in front of a mirror. Lucy's mouth parted as her mother looked back at her in the reflection.

"M-Mom?" She felt a knot form in her stomach and a lump in her throat as she tried to hold back the tears.

"Mom..."

The lion put his arm around her shoulder.

"I brought Capricorn here when he returned to the spirit world. He stayed here for a week begging for forgiveness."

He smiled and tilted his head. "If she's anything like you, she must of been quite the lady..."

He looked into the crystal.

"... Aquarius also dragged me here by the ear, too when she found out about me hitting on you so much..."

He chuckled quietly. "She made me sit here for 3 hours until she was happy I understood how important the Heartfilia's are. But I already knew that..."

He smiled and looked down at her. "Your mother has the best spot. It looks over the constellation of Aquarius too. Powerful and beautiful... "

He glanced at her,

"And the best part is... She would of been reborn as a star..." He pouted slightly.

Lucy couldn't take her eyes off of her mother. It was like dream come true? In a sense. She had wanted to see her mother for the longest time now and this was perfect.

She brought her hand up to her open mouth, still shocked by what was going on. Then Loke's comment hit her and she broke her concentration on her mother to look at him with wide eyes.

"Would've been?"

"Since there are millions of stars, she could be under any of them. A celestial Mage gets the privilege of joining her spirits in the stars, to protect her family for eternity." Loke replied.

He smiles. "That is why our universe continues to grow bright and beautiful."

Lucy gazed into her lion's eyes and smiled.

He sure knew how to make her smile when she really needed to. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a tight hug, her face pressed against his chest.

"T-Thank you Loke.. " her hands trailed to his back and gripped his shirt as she looked over at her mother. She was so beautiful, just like she remembered her. Her mother looked over as if she could actually see her, and they locked eyes for a moment.

"I missed you so much mom..." Lucy teared up and smiled.

Loke held her in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"There is one more thing I wish to show you here...I can only do this once. " He held onto her tightly and raised his fist into the air, the ring of his house was back on his hand but on a different finger.

This was hard to tell as his hand quickly became covered in regulus. "I will ask once more. You enjoy a sunrise, yes?" The ground began to rumble and the crystals shifted leaving Loke, Lucy and Layla's shrine on its own pillar.

Lucy watched Leo raise his fist and felt the ground begin to shake.

"Y-Yes!" She held onto him tightly and looked directly at her mother for comfort as the ground broke apart leaving them on only one pillar. "Ehhh?"

The lions grin grew wide and toothy. He's raised his voice to speak over the rumbling ground, "How about a starrise!?"

The pillar turned to face the earth, the crystal pillar caught the light. The sun began to rise gracefully behind the earth, casting it in a beautiful golden glow across the planet. The darkness slowly brightened as dawn began to blanket the ocean, slowly creeping across the land. Copper, gold, red, blue, green, Lucy could see so many colours. It was breathtaking.

He lowered his arm and propped a pair of shades on her face with a smirk.

Lucy's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates as they turned. Talk about romantic as hell. "Woah.." She held onto Leo, since she was still afraid of heights and watched the sun begin to rise over the earth. The blue water and the green land was more visible now. It was spectacular...and damn was she lucky. "Loke..this is beautiful..." She tightened her grip as she glanced over at her mother who was also watching?

"She can see it?"

He looked back at Layla's shrine with a soft, gentle smile. "I hope so..." The lion stared at her and nodded ever so slightly, before turning back to Lucy. The golden light blanketed the earth, making the rest of the stars seem so small and dull.

The lion slipped his hand into his pocket, with his other around her shoulders so she could rest her head on him and enjoy the view.

Within his pocket he fumbled his hand around and curled something into his palm, biting the inside of his lip, nervously.

The pair stared out at the glorious view in perpetual silence for a moment, watching it rise slowly, causing the colours of the earth to dance in front of them.

Loke's glance shifted to Lucy, he saw how happy she looked, nestled into his side with a cheerful smile on her face as she looked out at her home. He slowly brought his hand out of his pocket and placed it by his side. "Lucy...I have a question…"

The lion finally spoke, she looked at him when his gaze was broken suddenly. A shadow flew over the earth, and was coming their way...


	23. Chapter 23: Draco, Dragon of the sky

**Chapter Twenty Three - Draco, Dragon of the sky.**

The sky was picturesque and this was possibly the most romantic thing Lucy had ever witnessed in her life. It was something she only imagined she would read about in novels. But to see the sun slow caress its way over the perfect sapphire and emerald earth was utterly breathtaking. If Heaven was really real, she must have died. She had just seen her mother's shrine, and was able to get a glimpse of what she was like in person. The celestial world sure was amazing that way. To top it off, she was with Loke. The man who in her eyes would follow her to oblivion and back just to see her smile. The man who at this moment had a very determined but nervous expression on his face as he spoke to the blonde mage. His fists clenched and his glasses had almost steamed up, it was very out of character for someone who seemed to pride himself in his confidence with women.

"Lucy… Will.."

That's when it grew dark.

"Huh?" Lucy heard him call her name and looked up at him, her mouth a jar Then, just like that, she could barely see him anymore.

"L-Loke?" Lucy pulled off the shades her lion had put on her and looked back over the sunrise , only to see a dark shadow looming towards them. The pillar they stood on shook and Lucy's eyes darted over to her mother.

"Mom.." A piece broke off and her mother looked and her before the illusion vanished.

"MOM?!" Lucy reached out and almost fell, but luckily Loke pulled her back into his arms.

"Loke what's going on?!"

The lion glared at the shadow, gritting his teeth. He returned Lucy to her feet before putting the contents of his pockets away, then pulling his hands out and curling them into fists.

"Regulus!" The light brought the pillar back to the way it was previously, and the walkway once again joined with the rest of the relics. Loke slowly lowered his arm back to his side and stepped in front of Lucy quickly.

"What are you doing here, Lizard? " He growled bluntly at the being that had poisoned the mood with his appearance.

"How courteous of you Leo - And here I was thinking you'd forgotten your place and role. What's it like sitting at the King's feet like a dog all day, hmm?" The voice was deep, and harsh.

The shadow swooped down and landed heavily in front of Loke. He was tall, broad and fierce. He bore a black sigil in his armour, the house of the dragon was carved deeply into the metal.

Loke was shielding Lucy from him.

"I asked you a question. Why are you here? Black keys don't belong in these parts." He said through gritted teeth.

"Neither are humans, yet you've bought one. " The beastly male sneered.

"Answer my question, Draco..." He glared at the scaled lizard.

"You want to know why I came to interrupt your _perfect_ evening? I am here to claim what is rightly mine." The dragon smirked darkly. "I want what you have, Leo."

As Leo stepped in front of Lucy, she gripped the back of his shirt and peered around him. The giant dragon was fierce looking and had a deep booming voice which she could feel hit her chest each time he spoke, like a drum. Her legs shook slightly as Leo and the Dragon spoke to each other. Then, she heard something, and of course, assumed it was about her and pushed Leo to the side, now standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and a sour expression across her face.

"You want what he has?! Excuse you! I am a lady and I definitely don't want a stupid scaly dragon like YOU!" Her lips were puckered up and pressed together, she raised her hand and pointed to the beyond.

"Now get out of here!" She was seriously pissed off now.

Draco stepped towards her quickly. His pale yellow eyes scanned her up and down., Finally he sent out his repulsive serpent tongue to smell her closer.

"Urgh, she even smells like a lion now. What a shame..."

He cracked his scaled neck and glared down at her in irritation.

"Humans are always making it about themselves. I don't want you. You've been spoiled by the cats."

He grabbed her and turned her to Leo, holding her close to his chest with a vice like grip,

"Spoiled?! Why I oughta kick your- aaaaahhh!" Lucy felt like her breath was knocked right out of her, but luckily he loosened his grip.

"Let me go you scaly bastard?" She wiggled around trying to break free, but was hushed by his booming voice.

"Your valiant lion here is next in line to take over if the spirit king dies. It makes me sick. That's not how it should work!" He grimaced at his own words as he spoke them quietly to Lucy's ear.

Loke stepped forward, concerned for Lucy.

"Let go of her..." This wasn't something he had ever mentioned before. The celestial world politics was something he didn't want to bore her with. He never really spoke about what goes on in this other life of his, and this wasn't something Lucy had really noticed before. Besides, it was highly unlikely the spirit king could die. He is immortal too...Lucy's thoughts were firing around her head and were making her feel dizzy. She was watching Loke's expression. You could see how worried and pissed off he was, but tried to remain calm and professional. She thrashed around again, wanting nothing more than to be in Leo's arms again. It seemed as if they couldn't even have a nice vacation without something happening. When will it end? All Lucy wanted was to be with him without chaos erupting every time they were together. ' _Is it...my fault?'_

The dragon spat on the ground,

"The lamb is devoured by the lion, but what devours the lion, human girl? It's the dragon." He balled his fists.

"His wretched family took a hold of golden Key and pushed the dragons down to leaders of the Silver Key"

Loke showed fire in his eyes. The wild cat had just been let out of the cage.

"And how do you expect to take my place!? Firstly you're no longer a silver spirit! You rotted down into the darkness and became a black key. "

The lion stormed closer to him,

"Secondly, the king doesn't trust your way of thinking and certainly doesn't think it's suitable to rule the celestial world. He will not just hand anything over to you and thirdly ... " His voice became staggered as he had realised what else Draco needed.

The dragon tightened his grip on Lucy.

"Oh do go on, lion. Entertain me further... Tell me, what is that last thing I need? What will restore me back to the Silver ranks? " He looked at Loke who was hesitating, watching Lucy struggle under his grip.

"Tell me or I crush her little head with my palm..."

Loke gritted his teeth, a hint of fear quivering in his voice, "... You need to marry back into one of the Zodiac houses..."

"Correct. And your little _forbidden_ history lesson to your human girl taught me something. House of Aquarius should have a lady of age now... And what better way to force their hand than taking a hostage as important as yours..." A dark twisted grin creased across his scarred face as his large crimson wings snapped open.

"Don't tell the king I plan to visit him sometime in the near future. Also, I do hope you know that in that pathetic human like form you will never win her back? The only lion ever to be strong enough to beat me in battle was your grandfather, pity he ... Slipped away in his sleep..." The dragon flapped his wings, having a tight grip on Lucy.

"NOOO" Loke cried out in desperation. He quickly blasted Regulus into his palms.

"LUCY!" But it was too late. He tried to fire a shot but Draco was over the void. If he dropped Lucy, she wouldn't have survived. He couldn't take the chance.

The last thing Lucy heard was her name being called, but she refused to look back at him, not wanting to see his broken hearted expression. It would only make her feel worse. It was almost as if..She was a curse. Everything bad always happens when Lucy is around. Perhaps Mavis shouldn't have brought her back. Then things would be better...For everyone.

Lucy broke down and covered her face, trying to hold it back with small sobs.

"Shut it you filthy human!" Draco growled.

But it didn't stop the tears from falling. She tried to choke them back and finally looked back. Only seeing a speck of where she once stood with her Lion. "I'm sorry Loke...I love you..." the blonde mumbled to herself.

Loke was furious and disappointed in himself for not being able to do anything at all. He fell to his knees and punched the ground, causing the structure to shake.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to go..." He said to the faces from the relics.

"I'll get you back Lucy... I promise. I won't let him get away with this..."

The lion stood back up, only to be collared by three of Draco's minions. These were grunt level mages with scaly skin and dragon had been waiting for him in the shadows. Draco wanted to get more of a rise out of him and brought them for a bit of dispensable fun.

"I'm not strong enough huh... A lizard shouldn't underestimate a Lion..." He muttered,

"Get away from me, or you will regret it." He snarled, curling his fists and igniting them with bright Regulus.

The guards of Draco's house ignored him, striking the lion down. This was going to be a long day…

Meanwhile, the dragon took Lucy to his home. The air was hot and thick, fire, smoke and lava decorated the landscape.

He dragged her into the great hall. This hallway was grand, and a stark contrast to the outside of the building. Yes it was dark and made of cobblestone, but it had majestic red with golden trim carpets going down the middle. Paintings of members of Draco's household lined the walls, dating back through history. The biggest painting was of Draco, and a small Draconian girl with white feathered wings.

"I hope you enjoy your temporary home..." He laughed, chucking her onto the ground of his grand hallway. "Don't even think of trying to run away, I use a very specific kind of captive magic. You're stuck here with me now, human girl."

He turned to his staff, "Prepare the prisoner a room, and gather my Advisers.."

The scrawny lizard ran along, obeying with a frightened look.

"How much do you know about the celestial houses, human?" He looked down at her, smirking. "Did you know a spirit can murder another spirit in this world? They aren't immortal here..."

He loved the tormented look on her face. "When I'm done this whole world will be painted in my image, and not your lions..."

Lucy was thrown onto the hard ground, rolling as she fell. "Oooft..ow.." She lifted up a bit by bracing her hands on the floor and stared up at the beast who had kidnapped her from her lion.

Her eyes were red and puffy from bawling her eyes out, and they stung from the heat of this land. It was so hot. She felt like she couldn't breath. As Draco spoke, Lucy sassily replied to him.

"I won't let that EVER happen! I'll die before I let your scaly butt take over! And you better not touch Leo or any of my friends! You'll regret it!"

"Hah, Don't make it so boring. I could kill you right now, human." He laughed.

"Tell me, what makes you think your lion is so noble huh? He's not. He isn't worthy to be first in line, but by the look on your face you didn't know any of this... Or you don't care... Human, tell me. Do you know how the lions got to the sky in the first place?" He narrowed his eyes down to her.

This foe was not one to be taken lightly, and Loke knew he could ruin everything he worked so hard to get…


	24. Chapter 24:The Lion in the sky

**Chapter Twenty Four - The Lion in the sky**

Being taken hostage was not something Lucy would stand for. She had grown much stronger recently and was ready to fight the world. Firstly, however she had to get Draco to release her.

Lucy was about to back sass Draco again, but heard his question. ' _Do I know how the lion got into the sky?'_ Her eyes narrowed as she blinked a few times in confusion.

"Well... No.." Her brows lowered, thinking to herself for a moment and feeling even worse about her ignorance on the topic, but something popped into her head.

"I might not know the real reasoning... But I do know the Lions were put there because they're sure as Hell better than YOU!"

He picked her up off the floor and brought her to her feet. "Walk with me, and I will teach you. You may be my prisoner, but you may as well be educated like a lady of the stars. Your lack of knowledge amuses me. "

He smirked darkly, as he lead her down the hallway by a chain to her wrist.

"You really believe the lions are as honorable as you think ? You feel they are suitable to rule the celestial world one day?"

He brought her into a library and dragged out a large book. Draco slammed it onto the oak desk with a loud thud. Dust rose from within it as he opened the pages. Inside there were drawings and ancient greek text.

"The spirit king is the last living descendant of Zeus himself. Zeus was the one who put the spirits into the sky." He flicked to the pages regarding the Leo constellation.

"The lions tale is not one of valiant heroics and beautiful stories... No... The lion was a murderer, a thief and a wanted criminal. The lion was said to have impervious skin and was unable to be hurt by weapons. He dragged women into his cave for his own means, they were his hostages.. A true horror to humans. A true tyrant to women and girls... One day, The warrior, Hercules went into the cave unarmed. They had a great fight but in the end, the warriors bare hands tore the lion apart by breaking his back. The warrior carved off his skin and used it as armour, protecting his life in a fight that near killed him in the future. Zeus commended the lion and his skin and placed him into the sky -The stupidest mistake he ever made was putting that monster into the sky and placing his ass on a throne to rival the dragon's... "

Back at the crystal shrines, Loke was being swiped from the sides by the three dragons. He was pinned as their claws dug into his back. "Arghhh, God I hate you dragons!" He roared, exploding light from his body, pushing the dragons off of him. He hopped back to his feet, watching as the dragons fell down unconscious. He walked over to Layla's shrine and bowed his head. "I promise you, Layla. I will bring her back... " He ran back to the gate, opened it and headed back to the spirit world in a hurry.

Lucy's mind was spinning, thinking of a way to defend Loke. Though there were millions of reasons.. One of the sentences hit her like a sack of bricks.

' _A true tyrant to women and girls...'_ It echoed in her head over and over, giving her a migraine. Loke wouldn't hurt her would he? Lucy stared down at the book, lost in a flashback of memories. She remembered all the women Loke was surround by at the guild. His charm... It was his charm that _lured_ them in...They were devastated when he left them for her. But the thing is, she was SURE they weren't virgins anymore. And…

"Oh God..." Lucy's eyes filled with tears of pure hate as the image of their first time played like a movie in her head. He didn't love her...Like he didn't love the others. He just wanted one thing. If there was one thing Lucy was sure of, it was that lions were great with manipulation, and he may not have lured her to her death, but he lured her and the other girls to his cave just to take away their innocence and break their hearts, which was close enough to death. How could she have been so damned foolish all of this time. This is why Loke never told her anything about his life in the spirit world. This is why she knew the bare minimum about his past. Tears brimmed her eyes.

"Draco..." Lucy looked up at him with her fist clenched tightly, her brown eyes turned completely black and filled with hatred and brokenness. How could he fool her and the other girls?

Loke was a tyrant to women and Lucy was going to stop him. Her voice was stern, and cold.

"How can I help you take over?"

The dragon looked down at her with a surprised expression that lingered on the verge of looking smug.

"Many ways, human girl. What is your name?" He smirked slightly.

The image on the page was that of a golden lion, blood around his jaws, the image depicted him as a devil with horns. What the dragon failed to mention was that this was at the dawn of man, when gods walked the earth among men. He quickly shut the book.

"There are many ways you can help me... Tell me, do you know the house of Aquarius?" His yellow eyes looked down at her with a promising glint in them.

Lucy gazed up into the dragon's eyes.

He could see the hate flowing from her, and the truth in her words. This was no trick. Lucy was determined to rid of the Lions once and for all. She could feel her blood boiling. "My name is Lucy heartfilia..." Her ears perked up at the name of Aquarius. The one who's always putting her down, hurting her. The hate grew immensely inside of Lucy, blackening her pure heart.

"Why yes, yes I do..."

She hung her head down, her hair dropped across her face, and a small smirk spread across her face at the thought of how foolish she was for trusting those dreadful spirits. Taurus only saw her as a piece of ass. Aquarius saw her as a joke, all of her spirits were truly against her and it took her this long to figure it out. The zodiacs. But mainly Leo. He used her, took away her innocence, and broke her heart like it was nothing. Lucy brought her hand up to her lips and wiped them, trying to remove the awful taste of her last kiss with that lion.

"How may I assist you?"

This was perfect. Draco had her right in his palm, and he barely had to try. Humans had such weak hearts really. Pull the right strings and they crumble into shape.

"Lucy Heartfilia. It's time we get you acquainted with my household and get you a mount... We're riding to the house of Aquarius. " He walked with her by his side, down the corridors to a main meeting room. His advisors were waiting for him, they stood up quickly and bowed.

"Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Lucy Heartfilia, she is going to need a mount. She will be getting us into the house of the water bearer." He smirked darkly to his advisors. The girl was truly tainted.

Lucy nodded to the others. She wore a calm mask, but on the inside she was still screaming. Broken. Wanting not to believe it all, but it was true in her eyes and she hated it. She hated Leo. Lucy sighed and stepped forward.

"Not only will I be helping you get into the house of Aquarius, but I do believe I know someone who's seeking revenge against the Lions. If you could get me to the house of the serpent, I'd greatly appreciate it, I mean...reptiles have to stick together right?" A large wicked smirk was now plastered across her face.

The dragon was impressed. "For what he did to Lilith I am not surprised... We leave before dawn, guards take her to her _'room_ ', feed her, clothe her and make sure she gets rest. You will be most useful well rested, trust me...Knights of the dragon, wake up the mounts..."

The guards took her away downstairs and closed the large door behind her. It was basically a dungeon. She may be useful but she was still a prisoner.

Loke staggered back through his own gate, and fell to his knees as he opened it to the Spirit kings halls. They were empty today. "...Dammit... Don't you dare tell me you went on vacation today you old fool..." He looked at the huge throne blankly.

"What do I do...He's right... I'm not strong enough to fight an ancient like himself..." He gulped. "I'll get myself killed... But, it's for Lucy's sake... And Lucy is worth it..." He closed his eyes and sighed.

"You're such an idiot..." Called a deep male voice.

The older lion stood behind him with a golden chestplate on, the Leo insignia carved in and painted a valiant red..

"How could you leave a lady alone when you were suppose to be propo-" His jest was interrupted.

Loke snapped back at him, "DON'T SAY IT..." He quickly interrupted, raising his hands, he almost broke into tears.

"Draco took her.." He muttered, with hints of anger breaking through the sorrow.

The older lion stared at him fearfully,

"Then you dying is exactly what he wants you to do. If you die, and he gets back to leader of the silver keys, he takes your place... My boy, you are such an idiot when you're in love...The only way to save Lucy is to put him down." His father dragged Loke to his feet and slapped him around the face lightly.

"So, the day has finally come has it... " He said to his son.

Loke nodded quietly. "Then I will let the houses know as fast as I can. Son, you should pay your grandfather a visit..."

Loke nodded to his father but stopped. "... How do I speak to the dead?" He questioned him with a concerned look on his face.

"You're a lion. Speak with your stars and let me know what they advise... We take your orders now, son, not mine..." His father commanded before rushing off to make preparations. Loke watched him leave, looking lost. He raised his head slowly to the sky, looking at the infinite galaxies that were displayed before him in night sky. "... Regulus? I need your help." He tilted his head.

Meanwhile, a certain silver haired girl was dining with her spirits, Pisces. She how no knowledge of what was going on. Yet. To Yukino, the spirit world was a delightful treat!


	25. Chapter 25: Ursa Minor & Nemean

**Chapter Twenty Five - Ursa Minor and Nemean**

The cell Lucy was left in was in the depths of Draco's home. Heat broke through cracks in the ground from the lakes of lava that rested below the ground, yet the stone that she had to sit on still felt cold to the touch. The air was surprisingly damp for somewhere so humid, which made you break out in a cold sweat if you sit there for too long. The air smelt awful, like rats and mice had been left to decay for a while, and left in the path of one of those heat vents. Disgusting.

She wasn't alone in her cell, there was a scrawny young girl with a small what looked like bear claws and ears. She had been stripped of her normal clothes and left in dirty, stained and sweaty looking rags that were possibly worn by a previous prisoner.

"You're a human, miss? " she muttered curiously, looking at Lucy from her chains.

Lucy was free to walk around unlike the little bear.

"... Has the time of the lion come at last?" She sniggered..

"They used to say the lion was so big, his paws could crush a building, each step he took... The ground rumbled... He could destroy villages with his roar alone... Me thinks it made Mr Draco jealous...a dragon being out roared" she giggled, before looking at Lucy, who didn't seem to find the funny side at all.

"Pardon me miss, usually the other prisoners find little Ursa Minor amusing..." She cowered away in the corner, scared. The guards had left Lucy food, blankets and water. Ursa had nothing.

Lucy snarled at the guards who dumped her off but accepted she was still a prisoner. Perhaps once she showed how tainted she was and helped them the defeat the lions, they'd give her a better room. The weird girl annoyed Lucy as she sat down on the opposite side with a sour expression.

She hadn't noticed how scrawny the girl was nor did she care, but deep inside Lucy's now blackened heart, the Lucy that Leo fell in love with was still there.

"Shut it freak!" Her eyes narrowed over to the girl and Lucy slid her tray of food over to her.

"Eat it and shut up already!" Lucy didn't believe she was being nice, but that small part of her pushed her to do it, but she mainly just wanted peace and quiet.

The girl looked up at Lucy as if she was a saint.

"Thank you..."

"Tch. I said shut up and eat!"

And with that the girl began shoving the food in her mouth.

Lucy stared up at the single window in the dungeon, thinking about Leo.

 _'How could I fall for his tricks?'_ The tears welled up in her eyes as she brought her knees to her stomach and held them. ' _Why would you break my heart like this? After a I did to protect you...'_

The tears began to stream down her face and she clenched her fist.

"I TRUSTED YOU LOKE! I LOVED YOU-LOVED YOU-Loved you-loved you...loved...you..." Her cries echoed through the dungeon and out into the universe, probably loud enough for her lion to hear her. She was broken and so was her voice. It scratched the skies in a painful whine.

The little bear looked at Lucy, with her tiny paw still stuck in her mouth. She raised an eyebrow to the crazy woman.

"You knew the prince..?" She looked away,

"Sorry miss, My big brother told me to mind my manners. I shouldn't ask so many questions... " She mumbled, nervously.

"Did he not tell you he was basically a prince? Big brother use to say he didn't like others to look at him in a different light..." She stuffed some bread in her mouth, chewing loudly.

Lucy looked up at the girl with watery, damned eyes.

"You know Leo?" She tilted her head and raised her brow listening to her carefully and stood back up.

"Shut your damn mouth. I don't care about what you have to say. You haven't gotten to know Leo like I have. He's manipulative and only uses his stupid charm to make himself look like a good person, when in reality, he's a beast!" Lucy voice was harsh, so harsh it almost scared the little girl.

She paced back and forth in the dungeon feeling herself getting worked up about this whole situation.

"Once I see him again...I'm going to make sure he knows how much he's broken me...and I won't stop there..I'll make sure I do the same to him..."

Lucy patted her sides and felt her keys still there under her dress. "Tch..you just wait Leo...you just wait..."

The little girl backed more Into the corner. This human was scary.

"Leo? A beast?" She muttered, confused and scared. "You are clearly mistaken miss... You've not been here very long I guess... It's a shame.." The guards banged on the door.

"Go to sleep!"

Meanwhile, Loke had since vacated the great hall and found himself walking down a pathway past his house. "Why did we not build our house closer to the light of our stars...?" He grumbled to his little brother Leonis had decided to join him on his mother, Selene's request.

"Beats me..." Leonis says. He was a scrawny ginger male with dark brown eyes and short spiked up hair.

"But here we are..." The smaller lion says, as they approach the strange structure.

"Gramps should be found here somehow..."

Loke looked at it, the building was in the shape of a lion's head. It was a sort of shrine to his family made of smooth stone. Moss had started to grow around its mane and wildflowers dotted the edges of the path

"... You stay out here on guard. We can't let anyone disturb this ..."

On the other side of the celestial world, Leo's father was sending messengers out to every house as fast as he could, but the universe was a very large place. He feared he may not make it in time.

Back at the shrine, the younger lion looked down awkwardly as the wind changed to a sad, cold breeze.

"...That didn't feel good...I hope Loke can get this sorted soon..." Leonis muttered.

Loke had stopped in his tracks, his ears had pricked up on end. His hands were rubbing the ring on his finger. He had a sad look on his face, and an empty feeling in his stomach. Loke felt alone in this place. He finally lifted his head to a shrine.

"... So this is where you've been sleeping, Nemean. Time to wake up and talk to me for once old man..." He removed the ring, and placed it onto the shrine. Regulus filled the room, consuming it in white light. The ground shook around him, and then a voice echo'd outwards from the light.

"Great Hades! What have the lions become?!" The voice grew closer before feeling like it was right in front of Loke. The light faded. A great lion glared down at Loke. He felt fear, staring at his ancestor. "...Grand father..." He gulped. "I need your help..."

The great lion bared down on Loke with an annoyed look on his face. "I can see that. This place is a mess. How could you let it get this bad?"

Loke frowned, it's true. Things were just getting worse. His absence from the celestial world when he was banned from coming back left a mess of things and he still had a lot of clearing up to do. He was still Leo, even when he was trapped. It was still his responsibility.

"It's Draco, he wishes to take the lion's place at the top. The gold leader.. Our throne." Loke knew his grandfather didn't care for this human, nor his sappy love story so he just cut to the chase.

"He said I am not strong enough in this ' _human form'_ to beat him and that only you had the strength to do so..."

The ancient lion smirked widely. "You're damn right. Before I came here and had to change for the good of those humans, I was primal and a true lion. Zeus requested me to help those who I originally tormented. It was part of the deal we made...You wish to seek my power for your battles?" He asked curiously.

"Not all battles... _The_ battle... He took something from me and I intend to take it back by whatever means necessary. But I imagine it will be by force..." Loke replied back to him, bluntly.

His grandfather laughed, "As you are my ancestor I will grant you this. But know that this is a power your _King_ will not approve of." Nemean replied.

"He doesn't have a choice in the matter, grandfather... I need to learn how to access your primal power in order to best Draco… I don't believe I can win Lucy back otherwise..." The lion was seriously lacking confidence.

Nemean padded forward, placing another ring into Leo's hand from his was Similar to the ring he received before to use his human armour to be reborn, but this was different and ancient. It was black with a gold leo symbol etched into it. "Learn to be a lion, boy. You can only fight one monster with another… Fire with fire."

"Play dirty huh… Normally I would have to agree with the spirit king, but its personal now." Loke said, staring down at the ancient ring.

"Mistaken? No. I've known Leo for awhile now and I-"

Lucy heard the guard banging on the door and rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah..." She looked down at the bed they provided and sighed when she saw how cold the girl was. The tainted Lucy didn't want to hear any complaints so she tossed the girl her blanket, but deep inside, it was her kindness that drove her to do so.

"Just shut up already. My mind is made up..." Lucy scooted into a corner of the wall and leaned her head against the hard stone, closing her eyes and attempting to rest for tomorrow, but it was no use. Time past, and it felt like the night would never end. Lucy tossed her head to the other side and then back, but nothing seemed to help even though she was exhausted.

"Urgggh.." Lucy popped one eye open. The little girl was fast asleep, wrapped in the blanket Lucy gave her.

"Tch.." She stood back to her feet and stretched a bit, looking around the dark room, the only light was coming from the moon outside. It was chilly. Lucy couldn't even feel her own lips, feet...Hell she really couldn't feel anything, but then...a small golden light appeared at her side, but being so tired, Lucy never noticed. Her body began to feel warmer again, like someone was holding her. Someone who loved her. This comforted her as she sat back down and placed her head against the wall again.

"So warm..." And within a few minutes, Lucy had dozed off, unaware that she was being held by her Lion. Even if he wasn't there. As she slept peacefully, the untainted part of Lucy's heart called out for him. "Loke..." He was the only one who could bring her back.

Loke took Nemean's advice and left the ruins. He said nothing as he walked out to his brother outside. He slipped both rings back onto his fingers and lead him home.

"... There's going to be a war..." He muttered to Leonis, not being pleased about this at all. "Father has begun readying our allies, and mother has woken the mounts. We need to rest... We head over to Neptune at dawn, the house of the water bearer will be their main target." Loke said, as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

They made it home, safe in the night. Loke was worried sick for Lucy's safety, it's not like he would walk into a black keys realm without being killed. He couldn't sleep though. The lion stared blankly at the ceiling, before holding his head. "Lucy... I'm so sorry... I should never of dragged you into this... I thought..."

He looked at the rings on his fingers.

"I thought it would be different ..." His hands began to glow.

"At least wherever you are, you can at least feel my light... Know that I am coming to save you...I won't let him hurt you, Princess."

Meanwhile, a messenger from the house of Leo appeared at the house of Pisces. He was flustered " Urgent call to arms... The black dragon intends to rise again...and he has the princess..." He handed the message to them, bowed and left swiftly. The little guy had the Leo mark on his cloak. The letter had a wax seal, with the Leo stamp embedded into it. There was much disturbance in the Household and preparations quickly began around their feast. They didn't wish to trouble the silver haired Mage with their politics and duties. Pisces and her son smiled awkwardly at her, when her son finally spoke up.

"...Isn't the Princess...Lucy?" His mother had a worried look on her face which said it all.

Yukino had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was about to happen, and being a celestial wizard, she had a connection with Lucy. It had to be about her since that's all she could think about. The dreams. The visions in her head that caused her to nearly black out. That's why her spirits invited her here in the first place. They knew their owner needed something to get her mind off it, but it didn't seem to help at all.

In her dreams, it was only a glimpse of Lucy standing over Leo. Raising the sword Hercules once used to strike down a lion and then...

Yukino shook her and and buries her face into her palms. ' _Lucy would never do that...this had to be a nightmare…'_


	26. Chapter 26: Dawn

**Chapter 26: Dawn**

Lucy awoke to the sound of banging on the dungeon doors. "Nggh?"

The door opened and in walked Draco, covered in a different black suit of armor. It made his broad tall stature even more menacing.

"Put this on. You'll need it." He tossed her some type of scaled armor.

"When the Gods bid a war against us, this was the armor we used against Poseidon. It will protect you if anything goes wrong. Now get ready. We have to discuss the plan."

The guards handed Lucy the armour and helped her put it on. He looked at the little bear wrapped in her blanket.

"Did this little beast rip this off you in the night?" Draco snarled at her.

The little bear glared at him angrily.

"Let me go... Big brother was going to introduce me to his owner in a few days...I want to see her silver hair..." She grew teary.

The guards just kicked her to shut up, and closed to cell behind her.

Lucy looked back at the girl with a half smile and a wink. The girl's eyes widened at her as she reached out for Lucy, but the door slammed shut.

Draco looked down at her with a confident grin across his jaws.

"Good, you survived the night with the little rat... The mounts are ready. Let's go..."

He walked out to the fiery courtyard of his household. It was huge with no walls really, just huge black metal spikes that towered into the copper and black, scorched sky.

There before them was a huge fleet of black, green and red wyverns, armoured up with saddles. Some had intimidating war paint and flags on them all displaying Draco's insignia.

"We don't ride horses into battle little human... We ride war dragons..."

These were much larger than the Draconian people, much more fierce, but smaller than the dragons on earth. One of his advisors hopped onto his, and jests,

"Let's see the Lions match up to our wyverns in battle! Ha! I hear they still ride horses like the rest of the scum!" He snorts ungracefully.

Draco was confident, he dragged Lucy up onto his mount with him and positioned her uncomfortably behind him. His long thick scaled tail ran around behind her to keep her in place and his wings were folded neatly across his shoulders. He looked back at her.

"You will need to get Aquarius to let us in..." They rose off the ground and within a flash his entire fleet were airborne and soaring through the stars.

Even though Lucy was 'tainted', She still had a fear of heights, but this time she didn't react as they took off towards ' _The house of the water bearer'._ She could feel Draco's tail twitch on her back, and the wind stinging her face. Her blonde hair whipped backward as they soared through the stars. It wasn't beautiful to Lucy anymore. The stars she learned about when she was a young girl no longer interested her. There was only one thing on her mine. _Death._

"House of Aquarius up ahead!" Shouted one of the soldiers after a brief period of annoying chanting from the ranks.

"Circle the top! and I shall land! You know what to do!"

Draco leaned forward, motioning the wyvern to land. Going down was more painful than taking off. Lucy felt as if she was going to fly off like a piece of paper in the wind. Her face was turning red from how harsh the winds were. She shut her eyes, thinking back to the many times Leo caught her while she was free falling...The way he held her and their first kis-"ooooft!" Her mind went blank as she shook her head, rage flowing back through her body.

They had landed on the sea foam colored stone ground. It would have been magical to anyone, even the most evil, but Lucy didn't even take her time to look around. Her mind was set in the mission at hand.

Draco leapt from the saddle and helped Lucy down roughly. It's more like he jerked her down like she was a rag doll.

"You can get us in correct?"

Lucy turned to him and gazed up with a confident smirk.

"Of course... I do own one of them now don't I? And I'm sure word spread about my kidnapping. Aquarius will be delighted...errr..somewhat happy...hmm..she'll be happy I'm alive."

Draco raised his brow in confusion at her and went to speak but Lucy interrupted.

"She's not very fond of me. Another reason why I'm helping..."

As they landed the door flew off the mansion with a hot jet of water. Aquarius stormed out, furiously.

"How could you get yourself caught by this scumbag?!" She gritted her teeth, "Do you know how worried-" She stopped as Draco walked up,

"Lovely to see you again too... We need to talk to your father.." Draco snarled.

"You're not coming in." She was fuming.

On their table was an open letter from the house of Leo. One of the Aquarius household quickly picked it up and burned it and joined her outside. A tall blue haired woman, older and more scary looking than Aquarius stood beside her. "Get away from here Lucy, you're in danger..."

Lucy held her head down and laughed at the blue haired woman. "Heh...I'm in danger?" Her laughs grew more hysterical and louder as she whipped her head back up and locked eyes with the woman as if she meant to pierce her soul.

"You're the ones in danger..." Aquarius inhaled sharply as stared down at Lucy with an unfriendly look.

"And what's that suppose to mean-"

"Shut it Aquarius...I demand you let us in!"

"Tch! Forget it! I refuse!"

"As your owner I demand it!" Lucy stepped towards her grit her teeth, snarling.

"What's gotten into you?! Leo dump you or something?!"

"Don't speak that name in front of me. He's nothing but-"

The ground began to shake. Lucy turned to Draco, to confirm her suspicions…

As Loke woke up, his eyes were stinging.

"I wonder if the humans ever managed to settle a score and win a war in one day like I plan too... " He muttered with a frown as he walked over to his curtains, drew them back and walked out on to the balcony where he stood with Lucy before. He gazed out at the horizon, the sun hadn't even begun to rise yet in this part of the universe.

"...No matter where you are Lucy, no matter the consequences I am going to find you, bring you home to safety and get out out of the hands of Draco. I am going to bring him down with my bare hands if I have too..." He gripped the rails tightly in anger.

He was losing his cool, and he didn't like it. It felt similar to when he used his grand fathers ring before, to fight Natsu. But that was different to the new one. Loke was told that he took that form to seem less scary to humans so that he may serve them one day, slowly the Leo's got less and less frightening and more charming each generation at a time. Loke loved humans, Loke loved Lucy more than anyone in the universe and the thought of that disgusting old dragon taking her as a prisoner made him sick.

The lion swiftly got changed and headed to the courtyard where others waited, leaders from other houses waited with him in this dark morning. "Fetch the mounts... We'll ride to the water bearers house..."

Back in the house of Pisces, the household were scurrying around, gathering armour. "We have to help! We must go to the house of Leo and join their arms.. Yukino.. It would be safer if we took you home. Being here will only drain your energy and make you sick..." The mother said to her cautiously.

Leo and his friends had left the courtyard. Sagittarius had provided Great War horses for a lot of his side, but the Leo's had something else up their sleeves. They road far up the front with light Armour and valiant red and gold trimmed cloaks. Loke hated wars, despite being trained his entire life for combat.

"Take formation..." His commander blew a horn which roared through the air. "We're almost there...Be aware of the Wyverns... Cloak us Leonis..." Loke asked his brother.

In response, Leonis shone white light over them which made it hard to see the due to the shimmer. It seemed as if the sun was rising on the horizon. Loke had planned for just the right timing.

The ground rumbled at their approach. The Leo's had a lot of allies. The zodiacs were on his side. The 12 golden houses were the strongest in the celestial world but that alone was a tough fight against the fabled world eater dragon (or so the legends suggest). He needed more than numbers to take him down. The rest of the army, the zodiacs could deal with, but Draco himself... That proved to be a problem. Draco had done a similar thing to Leo and sought after his ancestors too. This made him a terrifying opponent.

They had approached, and the sight that met Draco's eyes shocked him. The lions were not riding horses…

He looked as if he'd just seen a ghost. Lucy looked to where his eyes trailed off to. In the distance, was Leo riding...a lion?!

The lions were the size of horses, they were fully trained war Lions, bred and made for battle under the Leo sigil. It was a well kept secret. The Lions lead the army towards Aquarius's home.

The others followed behind, charging towards them. Without any hesitation Lucy darted over to Draco and ripped the sword from his side and hopped back onto the wyvern like it was nothing.

"Draco! Get to the house of the snake and get them ready. I can deal with Leo. He trusts me."

She snapped the reigns and was quickly airborne again. Aquarius was dumbfounded by her actions, unable to speak, just watch.

Lucy shot towards the direction Leo was coming from. The sword drawn at her side. You could sense the pure hate flowing out of her. Her eyes blackened and vision hazed.

"LEO!" She leaned forward, rocketing straight towards him. "Transform..." Her armor glowed black as her attired changed into a pair of black leather shorts with a matching top, and a red cape that had the dragons symbol embedded on it. Her boots had black scales with a blood red trim. A trait of Draco's sword. She had heard him speak about it throughout the night.

Loke locked eyes onto Lucy and approached. "Lucy! " He paused and came to a sudden stop as her armour changed.

"...Why are you in World eater armour…?" He stared at her in horror as she glared back and hopped onto the Wyvern.

"Lucy...What are you doing...?" He looked back at Aquarius who had the same horrified look on her face. Draco laughed hard, and hopped onto another.

"You want a battle little lion, deal with your human first..." He cracked the reins and they disappeared out of sight, heading towards the house of the snake. The other 10 zodiacs remaining had caught up to Leo and were all on horseback. These were very tall horses with light battle armour. Pisces and her son strode up cautiously. Leo's lion growled at the Wyvern Lucy was on, who hissed back at her.

Loke stroked his head and calmed him. "Easy boy... You'll get your chance..." Loke hopped off. He was hardly wearing any armour, just a thin layer on chain mail, with a majestic sword to his side. He had a helmet to his side which he had removed to get a better view. Loke approached Lucy cautiously.

"We came to save you from Draco... All of us... What's with that look on your face?" He tilted his head. He really didn't have a clue what he did to piss her off.

Behind Leo were the leaders of each house who stood to back up Loke. But behind them was a great army, with many different flags flying on spears. It was quite intimidating.

"Are you upset I didn't tell you I was supposed to take over the king's role? Because really, it's very unlikely to happen... And I don't want too.. I thought you'd understand..." His ginger hair flowed in the wind as he cocked his head up to her. Aquarius's house opened and more soldiers poured out, ready and waiting behind Lucy's water bearer spirit.

Lucy hopped off the wyvern, irritated by his words and pointed her sword out to Leo fiercely. "You bastard!" She yelled,

"You used me!"

She took a step forward causing Loke to take a step back. His mount growled heavily at Lucy, yet she didn't budge.

"You took away the innocence of those human girls...AND YOU TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME!" Lucy roared.

Her grip tightened around the end of the sword as she charged at Leo, about to strike him, but luckily he managed to block her with his own blade in a frantic panic. Their blades clashed loudly, causing Leo to take another wary step eyes met. His was filled with passion, yet hers was filled with hate, regret, brokenness.

"I trusted you Leo...Draco was right...Lions truly are manipulative.. AND A TRUE TYRANT TO WOMEN AND GIRLS! I HEREBY RELEASE OUR CONTRACT LEO! I DON'T WANT YOU ANYMORE!" Her nostrils flared as she ripped her Leo key from her side, and swiftly cast it aside into the deep black darkness of oblivion.

"And I will kill you Leo...even if it kills me..."


	27. Chapter 27: Revelation

**Chapter Twenty Seven - Revelation**

The darkness around the planets that are dotted around the celestial world is aptly named the oblivion. It is the void between worlds, so dark and so cold you will never be able to retrieve items or souls unfortunate to be lost to it. Oblivion is also a state of being forgotten or unaware. This dark void was slowly about to tear Loke's heart in two as his key drifted into its endless depths. It made his heart stop. Infact this almost cruel act made everyone's heart stop.

The lion's eyes slowly and painfully lifted back to Lucy, still oblivious to what he had done wrong.

"Used you? " Loke quickly raised his blade to block her attacks once more, holding his ground so he could continue speaking. He refused to strike back with his blade.

"I may have had a bad reputation of sorts at the guild, but you know I'd never force you to do anything you didn't want too... "

But Lucy persisted. No blade could hurt Loke as much as her words.

"Tyrant? What are you talking about!?" He muttered as he stared at her storm filled eyes.

The other spirits started talking amongst themselves.

"W-Why is she saying this?" Aries bleated.

"Has she gone Mmmad?" Taurus sighed.

"I thought she loved him." Virgo stated.

"She doesn't seem like our loving owner anymore..." Scorpio sounded cryptical of her change.

"She is quoting old text..." Capricorn muttered.

Loke had watched Lucy toss his key away so carelessly. The other Leo members watched in anticipation, remaining quiet. What was Lucy thinking!? His mother rode up to Loke's side on a lioness, dressed in white and gold armour, with a red Leo symbol across the back plate.

"...Those are Draco's words, aren't they?" Selene asked, staring at Lucy.

Loke couldn't take his eyes off Lucy. His Lucy. What did Draco say to her to make her act this way.

"Whatever he said to you is wrong... I... We- " He was interrupted.

"-We are NOT Tyrants!" His mother roared fiercely at the blonde mage.

"You are the one who has been manipulated, but-"

Loke raised his hand to stop his mother from laying into her.

"You feel that lions are manipulative? Yeah, you're right we are, and I guess I can be too... But you can't be a leader without being manipulative. It's a skill acquired through generations. Your new best friend, Draco is a cruel manipulative bastard who will tell you anything to get you on his side.. Think what you will Lucy Heartfilia, if I am your spirit or not, I will bring you back, I will take you back home to safety and like I promised to you and the spirit king I will protect you whether it costs me my life..." He tossed down his blade, looking at the woman he loves, helplessly.

"Leeeoooooo!" A little voice called out, and from under the armour of Lucy's wyvern, and a little head popped out. She had small bear claws and tiny bear ears. She managed to sneak out and hitch a ride. The little bear jumped down and ran over to him, clinging to his leg, in floods of tears.

"Is it true? Are you going to bring the huge lion, Nemean to break the cities?"

Loke blinked and looked down at her, "Rosie? What were you doing on Lucy's Wyvern?"

It hissed at him, angrily.

"Draco kidnapped me from the house of the Little bear... Said we either joined him or died... " Loke picked up the little bear cub from house of Ursa minor and put her on his Lion. "Stay up there, you'll be safe on him. "

Loke turned back to Lucy.

"Well? Are you going to fight a man with no sword?" His hazel eyes locked onto hers intensly. "A man who will not fight back against you, because it would hurt him to see harm come to you..."

The other spirits gripped their weapons tightly. None of them wanted to hurt Lucy. None of them wanted it to come to this.

Aquarius joined Leo's side. "I bet she doesn't know how her new dragon friend even joined the sky... Is his name all you know, Lucy? Or have you heard how much of a monster he is too?" She raised her eyebrow angrily.

Lucy could feel all eyes on her. She gripped the sword tightly and took a step back.

"You think I'm stupid enough to believe you all? You're wrong...I know in my heart that what I'm doing is the right thin-" she looked back hearing the echoes of roaring dragons and hissing snakes. Draco was headed their way with the house of the snake. They moved faster than she imagined.

"Perfect timing..." Lucy cracked a wicked smile and turned back to the others.

"You really don't know everything about me...Do you Leo?" Her eyes locked with his just as Draco landed behind her with a loud thud. Her hair whipped across her face from the gust of wind. Good. Nobody would be able to see her glossy tear filled eyes. But someone would feel it. The gust of wind blew one of Lucy's tears towards her spirits which hit her former spirit...and former lovers cheek. He could feel that those weren't tears of anger. They were "I'm sorry" tears.

Was Lucy really tainted? Or was this all just some sort of plan she had...That didn't matter. The battle was on...

Draco had landed and had Ophiuchus on a chain. The large snake twisted angrily with dark red eyes.

"OPHIUCHUS!" Cried a young woman's voice. She ran out from between the Libra and Pisces forces

"What have they done to you!?"

Loke paused. "...You shouldn't be here either. Why are you here!?" What a perfect distraction. Loke was concerned about his human friends.

The silver haired mage was wearing armour bearing the Pisces sigil. She had refused to leave until she found out what was going on, and until she knew her spirits were safe.

"Lucy? Why did you let my spirit get chained like this?!" She looked utterly heart broken.

Loke stepped up to defend Lucy's actions. He felt the warmth of her tears on his cheek.

"Its not Lucy's doing... It was Draco's. He uses Captive magi-"

The lion was interrupted. Draco had drawn his blade and was pointing it at the now unarmed Lion.

"You were saying, little lion? Tell me how do you expect to win this fight? I told you already... You can't beat me in a war, me and my dragon brothers will reign fire over your friends and family and you will become nothing but ash."

Loke raised his ringed finger and grabbed the edge of the blade to keep it away from his throat. He had his house ring, and grandfathers golden lion head ring firmly placed on his fingers. He felt the sting of its edge pulse in his hand.

"And you were the one calling me a tyrant...How despicable..." He growled deeply.

"If you want a fight, fight me and don't get everyone else involved. That's what you want isn't it?" The lion stared at him intensely. His golden eyes narrowed and glared at him. "Or do you need an army to do your fighting for you?"

Selene had a worried look on her face, "Leo...You don't need to do this...We came to fight by your side. We came to defend you because we trust you to lead us in the right path."

"What kind of a leader would I be if I don't fight for those I love?" He said, without turning his gaze away from the Dragon.

Lucy ignored Yukino and looked away with a soulless expression. To be honest, Lucy felt a little guilty. Yukino did nothing to hurt her...nobody did…

She rolled her neck and turned her gaze back to Leo and Draco. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Draco pull out his sword, pointing it at a unarmed Leo. 'Dammit...' She grit her teeth and stormed in between the two.

"Draco...if you are to fight Leo. You do it like a man.." Lucy shoves her sword into Loke's hands and backs away.

"An equal fight..."

Draco and Leo looked at her and then back at each other. Lucy reached behind her and pulled out a even larger sword from before. It looked familiar, like the one Draco had showed her in a was Hercule's sword. Draco told Lucy it was the same sword Hercules used to strike down the Lion. Somehow Draco got his hands onto it years ago. Nobody knows how, but he did.

She drew the sword and pointed it towards her spirits who had a broken hearted look on all their faces. They didn't want to do this. This was Lucy. Sweet, kind, clever Lucy Heartfilia, the daughter of Layla…

"Let the battle begin..." Lucy smirked.

Loke felt chills go down his spine when Lucy pulled out the blade. The small part of his brain also pondered where and why she had been hiding it...

But then the lion broke into a smirk. "You want us to fight like men? Fine." He grabbed the sword and span it into his grip.

"We'll fight like 'men'. Swords and all..." His mood had just chirped up. He was offering to fight without a weapon, and now he'd just been handed one.

"You best realize what sword she has... Lion.." Draco smirked.

"I know what sword that is." He smirked back. "It's Hercules sword..."

"Correct. The very blade that took down the very first Lion..."

The lions behind Leo stayed quiet, biting their lips. Leo had a very smug grin on his face. "Correction… The blade that took down the very first Dragon..." He stated, his smirk widening. Was Draco really that much of an idiot. If that was the case, he must have also told Lucy that story too. It was all starting to make sense in his head.

"Let's see how quickly you dance in that armour." He swiftly sent the blade at Draco. The lion was small and nimble, only wearing light armour, and was a right little pain in the neck when fighting someone in heavy armour. Loke quickly dodged the slams from the broad sword. Draco was getting angry.

Their blades clashed, allowing Loke to send Regulus through his palm and into the blade. "Regulus, Light of the king!" He blasted Draco away from him and into his Wyvern mount.

The spirits gasped and Draco slammed his wings out to the side, soaring back over to Leo, aiming his blade at him. Loke's shades glinted as he went to block. But the dragon was dirty...

"Dragon fire!" He roared, blasting Loke back with a flurry of fire.

"Argh... Y-You should brush your teeth once in awhile old man..." The lion coughed and staggered back to his feet with a sly grin. The dragons magic was ancient and powerful, and that hurt. Alot.

Draco snarled back at him as the pair went to clash blades once more. This was going to be a long fight if Leo didn't use his Grandfather's advice soon.

Lucy watched the fight. Inhaling sharply each strike. It was a bit nerve racking to see such an intense fight... _tainted_ or not. She paced back and forth watching them while the others also watched in 'anticipation.' Her eyes darted over to Aquarius. She had been staring at Lucy the whole time instead of watching the fight. Her expression was filled with disappointment and rage, until Lucy cracked a smile at her.

Everything was clear to Aquarius now.

The night before, Lucy was asleep in the dungeon. She had a dream. Not just any ordinary dream, but a dream about Draco. He had taken over the Spirit world. The lions were no more. He had the silver keys working as slaves building monuments of him, and so on. Blood, sweat, and tears poured from them. On the other hand, the remaining Zodiacs were forced to be his 'bitches.' He hand used Virgo as a foot rest. Aries was tied to a celestial chain, only feeding her his scraps when he felt like it. It was horrible. It was truly a nightmare. What was worst of all was that he didn't even care for his own household members either. HE was Manipulative. He was a liar.

Lucy didn't think of how manipulative the dragon was until her dream. She felt so stupid for believing him, but had to keep her act up in order to help the others. Now you're probably wondering. 'Why did she throw away Leo's key then?!' Well, Lucy didn't actually throw his key into oblivion. Back on Earth, Lucy figures became so popular, they ended up making fake keys to go along with it. The kids, and women (including the ones who loved Leo) thought it was brilliant. They sold like crazy. Lucy had bought all of her keys just because she thought it was cute. She now keeps a spare on her as a decoy since she keeps losing them, and being scolded by the very spirit who was staring at her.

She winked at Aquarius before dashing in between Leo and Draco, slamming the sword against Draco's.

Loke's smile widened, and joined Lucy in pushing him back.

"For a moment I thought i'd lost you, I wasn't going to sit back idly and let that happen, Beautiful. Just maybe not give me a heart attack next time." He smiled at her before turning to Draco again.

Lucy smirked as her lion came to her side, helping her push Draco back. "You idiot..you could never loose me..." She pushed harder and tilted her head toward Leo. That angelic smile he loved so much spread across her face. "You're my everything Loke..." And she really did mean it.

Lucy's eyes locked onto Draco.

"You're not so bright after all are you Draco? Ha...figures."

"No, he's not as smart as he thinks. You didn't study your history very well, did you Draco..." He sniggered and flicked his foot under his, tripping him slightly, allowing Lucy and Loke to get the upper hand.

"Argh, You little bitch!" He roared at Lucy and shot great bolts of fire at them both, causing the pair to jolt backwards. Loke raised his hand to defend Lucy from the flames.

When the lion lowered his hand, the dragon had vanished. All that was in his place was ash.

"...Be on guard..." He stood back to back with her, giving her his sword and raised his fists. Lucy was now duel wielding two very nice blades.

Black smoke shot around them quickly, causing them to look left and right. One formed in front of Leo and knocked him down. "What the hell is this magic?"

Lucy's eyes shot left and right, backing away slowly. "Damn lizard..." And just moments later, black smoke shot around them, knocking Leo down. "Loke!"

"Caaaaaptiiivaaate..." A hissing voice sparks through the smoke, causing black chains to appear on the Lion's body. His hands were down by his sides, binded.

"Lucy! Look out!" The black fog slammed a blade at the blonde.


	28. Chapter 28: Starlight

**Chapter Twenty Eight - Starlight**

Draco was monster. Not because he kidnapped Lucy, caused a war and wanted to enslave the world, it was also because he was jealous. Jealousy makes a monster out of everyone. The dragon blasted the pair with the smokey chains, hoping to end it in one hit. Take out Lucy, and he takes out Leo. Lucy was about to reach out to help Loke until she looked up and saw the glimmer of Draco's blade coming straight towards her. She couldn't move, her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to come out of her chest.

Loke's heart shot into his throat, his fingers clenched against his side as he was clamped by the chains that struck him previously. "..." There was something in his pocket. As quickly as he could he pulled it out. The green card!

"Lioness armour!" Lucy's dragon armour glowed a pure white, quickly forming into Leo's mothers impenetrable armour. The blade shattered as it impacted on her chest.

Lucy had the breath knocked out of her. "D-Damn.." She felt back and landed on her ass, letting out a 'ooooft.' Her vision was a bit hazy, but once she regained it, Lucy looked up and seen the devil himself before her eyes. "Oh god..no..."

The lion was panting, his heart was racing, "Thank you spirit king..." He panted. The chains were dragging him down to the ground.

"You've chained me like some kind of monster..." Loke growled.

Draco was furious. "You broke my sword..." The black smoke swirled around him. Fire rose from the ground. "You've left me no choice." He was fed up with fighting on the ground like this. He needed to show his power, his dominance. Time to end it all.

The dragon felt he was losing this fight and took to extreme measures. He tripled, to quadrupled in size... He formed into a huge, vicious, Dragon. His horns twisted around his skull, razor sharp wings soared out of his back, and his entire body was protected by thick blood red scales.

"Your cities will burn... Your friends and children and families will burn..." Boomed a terrifying voice. His chest glowed orange, like molten lava.

His army were cowering in fear at the sight of him. "T-The world eater..." they muttered.

The air became still and the only sounds that could be heard was the heavy breathing from Draco. It was deep, demonic breaths. Lucy looked over at Leo and then back at her spirits whose eyes were wide and full of terror.

"I have to do this..." And without thinking, Lucy rocketed over to her wyvern, hopping on it. She didn't hesitate to crack the reigns.

"LUCYY!"

Was all she heard as the wyvern flapped it's wings. She looked down at Loke with a smile and took off into the sky, soaring towards Draco, her sword at her side. "You know what to do Loke..."

Reluctantly, The lion nodded back to her and quickly looked back at his friends and family.

"In order to even stand a chance against Draco is to fight fire with fire… Nemean, had a point.. I can't beat a monster like that on my own. But… Draco always listened to only parts of the old stories which made him look good,he never followed it through until the end ... If he actually listened, he would know that light will always shine over darkness..." He winked at his mother who still had a worried expression across her face. It was calmed by his words and she gave him a weak smile. His army cheered him on. Today he truly felt like a leader, but Lucy showed to be more fearless than him. He was proud of her.

"LUCY. BE CAREFUL UP THERE." Loke said as he turned back to Lucy and Draco, raising his palm into the air.

"Regulus light of the king, Nemean... Lend me your claws!"

The sky roared as light blasted down onto Loke's body. Those chains that pinned him down dispersed into pieces. His figure vanished, expanding greatly, taking shape, towering over the armies. Towering over the wyverns too.

Great horns were the first to appear from the golden light, following after was a majestic mane, powerful, strong body, and huge claws.

The little bear sat On Leo's mount stared up in amazement. "The city destroyer and the world eater... Nemean and Draco…" She gulped a little. "How exciting!" She hopped around, causing the mount to look up at her in confusion.

This lion was the lion in the drawings from the books that Lucy had been shown by Draco. Just as foretold, he towered over buildings, had a strong body and a fierce looking set of teeth and claws. The lion was only once pictured with a happy looking woman after he was accepted into the sky. After his reign of terror on earth was over, and after he changed for the humans as requested by Zeus, the spirit king at the time.

Loke roared, the boom could topple a mountain. The ground rumbled, with each step. He joined Lucy quickly as she was still flying up. "Time to show You why we lions are fit to be king..." The lion's voice was deep and fierce. He pounced up at Draco who soared back at him…

Lucy gazed back with wide, amazed eyes. "Loke..." Her eyes narrowed back to their target. Draco. He was soaring towards the two. He shot out a tremendous amount of flames that headed towards Lucy. Luckily, with quick thinking, Lucy pulled the reigns.

"Pull up and circle!" Just as the flames were about to strike her, Lucy's wyvern flapped it's wings and shot up above them, and even above Draco.

The beast circled back and sent more flames towards them.

"Round about!" The wyvern swooped down and did a 360 around the flames. Draco didn't seemed please, but boy was he stupid for turning his back on a Lion. Leo struck him from the back, digging his teeth and claws into Draco's neck The beast let out a loud, ear piercing roar that sent a shock wave towards Lucy.

"Oooofffft!" She clung to her wyvern as they did a few spins.

"Damn..he's strong..." Lucy rolled her eyes back down to the fight. It seemed as if Leo had the upper hand, which he did, for now. She kept her eyes glued on them, just in case she needed to strike...sooner.

"Come on baby...you got this..." her grip tightened.

The lion roared fiercely, crunching down into the back of Draco's neck. His claws dug into his shoulders and back. Draco twisted and turned,shooting fire out in all directions. Many of the blasts shot down to the soldiers, causing them to scatter from both sides of the fight. The flames were intense. The rocks they struck melted under the heat. His huge tail swung up and struck Loke in the back, hard.

He roared out and jammed his teeth back into the dragon's head as he was being hammered with the tail. The dragon's wings were failing as they were being shredded, causing him to lose altitude, he was heading for the ground. If Loke could make the dragon lose his wings he would have the advantage.

His claws glowed golden, with regulus. He kicked his feet up into his wings, tearing through them, taking a heavy blow in the side from the dragons spiked tail.

"Argh, you have to do better than that dragon..." He said through gritted teeth as Draco crashed into the ground, cracking a dark laugh,

"Very well... Watch your friends burn..."

The dragon growled and lifted his head from the dirt. His large jaws opened, heat waves ripped out in front of him and then he blasted molten flames out at Lokes soldiers…

As the flames shot towards the other spirits, The house of Aquarius sent up a water barrier to protect the others. Unfortunately, even with all of their strength together, it wasn't powerful enough. They were being pushed back by the weight of the flames, the heat singeing everyone's bodies.

"Nggh...can't hold on for much longer..."

With no hesitation, Lucy headed down to help. It was like the flames were never ending. She was attempting to help, but Draco had other ideas. His big scaled claws quickly reached up and hit Lucy's wyvern, tearing one of it's wings off.

"Damn!" They began to spiral towards the ground at high speed. But the wyvern had bonded with Lucy. With the last of his strength, he used his reminding wing and started flapping.

"Huh?" His eyes narrowed back to meet hers. There was trust and friendship between them now. Even if they were meant to be enemies, there was no stopping friendship. The wyvern flapped a few more times before turning upside down, dropping Lucy down and onto the back of Leo, as he spun to the ground and crashed before his others. "Ooooft!" Lucy felt the warm fur and clung to it, trying to stand back to her feet.

"Well this ruined my plans...time for plan B, I suppose..."

Back where the spirits stood, the flames had broken through the water barrier and knocked down almost half of them. Aquarius was burnt, but not broken yet. She looked up at Leo and Draco, one eye open, and her teeth clenched. "Kick...his ass already you idiot..." she ordered her lion.

Loke shook his mane, removing the dust and ash that had got caught in it. He grinned as Lucy clung to him. The red robe that he proudly wore flickered out from behind him.

The lion heard the cries of his friends, and those from Draco's army who got caught up in the fire too.

"Draco, stop it!" He growled, pushing off the ground and pouncing on the top of his head to force his jaw shut. He clambered around the front and stared at him right in the eyes. The lions horns were a dark red.

"You change into your primal self at will... You truly haven't learned anything from the humans. You drove yourself into the darkness because of your selfishness... Think what your poor little sister could of done is she was on the key instead of you..." He raised his arm and swiftly slashed his claws at Draco, causing him to raise up. "Hold on Lucy!" Loke quietly said as he managed to dig his claws into the dragon's scales, only just staying on,

The dragon tried to snap at him by thrashing his head around. But the lion slammed his foot back on his snout, "Quit your yapping, your next king is talking..." Loke smirked at him.

"Do you want to know why the lions changed so much... Why we don't look and act like tyrants anymore?!"

Draco growled at him.

Loke narrowed his eyes at him, " We grew to love the humans we served... We don't look at them like pieces of meat, tools to get us into the human world... We offered our lives to our humans and they love us in return..."

Draco snarled, "That's not what I heard... Human slayer..." His voice boomed.

Loke slammed his foot back on his snout, "That was different, you filthy lizard. Be quiet and listen to me... Listening for once will do you some good... When you form a bond with a human, you form a bond with their hearts, and your spirit friends respect you in return... They fight by your side out of love and not fear... Lucy's wyvern even proved that with a little respect you will have a friend for life. "

The spirits, although injured raised their swords and chanted in unison. They cheered for Loke and Lucy to beat him, to win this and end all their pain.

Loke felt Lucy shuffle up to look over his head, resting on his shoulders. "Lucy here has tamed this lion, and therefore earned the respect of my friends and family... And now we fight together to stop a tyrant like you from causing more pain and destruction..."

Loke tilted his head up to face the dragons large eyes. "Look into the eyes of your prince and apologise to everyone... Otherwise I have no choice but to discard my mercy..."

Lucy peered over Leo's mane to see Draco. This was very intense and she could feel the heat rising from a very pissed off beast. Draco's eyes rolled up to her and he snarled. Lucy wasn't afraid anymore...She had to stand her ground. If he won, the spirit world would be a disaster and the stars wouldn't shine anymore. She wasn't about to let that happen.

"Come on Loke...You got this..." Just as she said those words, Draco attacked with full force, knocking Lucy back. She rolled down Leo trying to latch onto his fur, or something. As she rolled off, she felt the air whipping through her hair, but luckily, Leo's tail swished to the side and she was able to grab hold. But how long could she actually hold on?

Lucy's words warmed the lion's heart, he wasn't about to let Draco ruin everything he held close. He tried to swish his tail around to his body so she could get a better grip.

"Well, Draco? What will it be?" Loke asked, once more.

"Death to all..." Draco growled with a deep, angry tone.

The dragon jolted his head upwards, throwing Loke and Lucy from his snout. He quickly lunged upwards and snapped down on Leo's left claw quickly. Those powerful jaws crunched down with such force you could hear it from both sides of the celestial world.

With that sudden motion, all the cheering seemed to stop, as everyone held their breaths.

Loke and Lucy were falling but it felt like time stood still for a moment. Draco had taken Nemean's ring from his hand. No, Draco had taken the entire hand causing Loke to glow a bright gold. He phased back to his normal, suited self before slamming down hard onto the ground on his back. Lucy fell onto his chest causing him to wince. He grabbed onto her with his other arm, to stop her tumbling onto the ground.

Selene cried loudly and charged over, whilst the lions from Leo's family attacked Draco. They had to get their grandfather's ring back, they had enough of standing around and watching Loke take all the glory and pain for himself. Selene slid off her lioness and grabbed his arm. Blood spilled out from his wrist. This pain was very real, it's not like he could go back to the spirit world to easily heal it up, he was in the spirit world. Selene ripped her cloak off and quickly wrapped it around to stop the bleeding.

Loke groaned and sat up, holding Lucy with his right arm. "Are you okay?" He gave her a weak smile. He didn't wish to worry her.

The lions managed to jam a few spears up into Draco's mouth, holding his mouth open. Heat started to form in the dragon's throat.

"GET DOWN!" Aquarius roared, whilst her sisters and her shot water jets into the dragon's mouth. He slammed his tail at them pushing them out of the way.

"Leo, you're going to be alright...We will hold them off for as long as you need... But you know what you need to do..." His mother was desperate. Loke's father was the one holding a spear up into the dragon's mouth.

Loke nodded to Selene, trying not to think about the pain that he was experiencing from having his hand bitten off. He raised his right hand seeing his other rings still there, his silver ring, his plain gold ring and his families Leo ring. He smiled slightly and looked at Lucy, helping her back to her feet.

"Lucy..." The green card in his pocket glowed once more, causing Lucy to be wearing her Leo Star dress. "That always did look beautiful on you..." He laughed.

Meanwhile, Yukino had managed to sneak past and unchain Ophiuchus. She rode on the serpent's head and attacked Draco. "No one hurts my Spirits!" The snake struck Draco whilst the lion's attacked his face. They were giving them time. Draco merely slammed them all to the side with a powerful blow from his spiked tail.

As the pair faced Draco, Loke placed his hand on hers. "Lucy... " He looked at her, "I know how to beat him now...It's not monsters.. It's not fancy weapons or huge armies... It helped, yes but I feel Nemean was missing the point as to why we changed… And so was Draco. There is one thing that he has never had and never will... I need your hand, Lucy..."

He looked down at her left hand, realizing how it sounded. "...I don't mean I need to cut off your hand I..." He cleared his throat, and looked at her awkwardly. He was full of nerves, but it seemed to block off the pain.

"I was going to do this right, but Draco rudely interrupted me last time... What I am trying to say is..." He stuttered on his words once more.

The lion slipped his Family's ring onto her ring finger. It now fitted perfectly.

He gave her a small smile, "Lucy Heartfilia... Will you...be my Lioness?"


	29. Chapter 29: Unison

**Chapter Twenty Nine - Unison**

"Will you be my Lioness?" Loke nervously asked his Princess. It took every ounce of courage he once thought he had to push those words past his lips. Forget fighting Draco, this was the hardest thing he had ever done.

Lucy's eye's widened to the size of dinner plates as she stared at Leo. As he slipped the ring on she could feel her heart pounding, almost hard enough that it exploded. Fireworks burst in her tummy. Was he really going to-?-'oh my god...' The words she'd longed to hear slipped out of his mouth so lovingly.

Lucy slowly gazed at the ring and looked back up into his eyes that she always got lost in. Everything, from the time they met, until now, replayed in her head in a flash. When she saved him and the multiple times he saved her. Their first kiss. Their first time...When he fought to bring her back, until now. It was like a dream come true. Loke was her everything and she wanted to be with him forever. Finally her wish came true.

Lucy leaned in and pressed her forehead against his, caressing his face.

"Of course I will Loke...Forever and always. I love you my Prince..." She stole quick kiss before moving back into a fighting stance, smirking.

"Now, let's defeat him together...My love.."

Loke couldn't stop smiling. He snuck her a quick kiss behind the ear and stood back.

"We can do this, together.." He gripped her hand tightly, raising the bandaged one. His golden blood glowed as his hand grew back. He wiggled his fingers and looked at it.

"Hm... By taking your hand it grew mine back... I wasn't aware of this magic...That's...handy..."

He wasn't proud of that, and he never will be. He just couldn't help it.

"Now isn't the time for me to be making terrible jokes. " He grabbed her other hand as they stood foward together, fingers linked tightly. This was the Unison raid position.

"HEY DRACO... OVER HERE YOU BIG UGLY BASTARD. " Loke called in an attempt to get his attention.

Draco grunted and tossed the spirit he had in his jaws to the ground. The ground rumbled as he stomped closer and closer. Loke had weakened him, shredded his wings and grounded him, the spirits also played their part in distracting him long enough. Now it was time to finish him off for good.

"If you had gotten to know more about humans you'd realize something... True strength and power comes from the heart... Love makes us stronger and let's us do the impossible. "

Draco glanced at his new hand,

"I took that hand...and ate it..." He roared, filling his lungs with fire again. His neck was glowing with heat as he readied an attack.

Loke narrowed his eyes at Draco, and smirked.

"Regulus Light of the King & Queen, Unison raid! Blast the darkness out of the skies!" He roared out to the stars, which shone brightly above them, casting vibrant colours into the sky.

Lucy and Loke's magic fused, their bodies glowed brightly. The roar of lions shot into the sky.

Draco opened his jaw and started to form flames in his jaws.

Their hands pointed towards the dragon, as a huge two layer magic circle formed in front of them, drawing in the star light quickly.

"Are you ready Lucy? On your word my Princess... We blast him to smithereens..." He muttered into her ear, softly.

Lucy glanced at Leo once more with a smile. "Oh you know I am!" She slowly shut her eyes, trying to control the magic. A familiar voice appeared behind her and she whipped her head back, only to see nothing.

"The two of you can do this Lucy..." Said her sweet angelic mother.

That was all she needed. There was no love more powerful than a mother's love. Lucy smiled brightly and shut her eyes again, focusing all the magic that was flowing through her, sending out waving of her Love. To Leo and her Spirits. It was strong and powerful. Even Draco snarled, backing away a bit.

"What is this?!" He spat, taking his concentration off gathering the flames to shoot at them.

"This? THIS IS CALLED LOVE!" The two lovers gripped each other's hands tightly, pressing their bodies together as golden Magic built up at the ends of their hands.

There was no doubt about it. This was an unstoppable force, and Draco froze, feeling powerless as he stared into the circles.

Loke burst into a huge smile. "Well then, Let's show him what love can do!" He roared, eagerly.

The magic circle before them was bright white, with a flaming gold mane around it. It was blinding to look at, causing Draco to squint in pain. He channeled his Regulus into their hands and then- _**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

Their magic blasted out of the circle and tore through the landscape in front of them, ripping it to pieces. The blast was shaped like a huge golden lion and his fierce lioness, ready to ponce on the dragon as it approached.

The night sky lit up brightly, like a supernova just went off. The shock waves knocked the spirits down as it struck Draco head on. He didn't have a chance to think or get away, it was too fast. Their huge Regulus teeth and claws gouged into his flesh and rocketed him into the horizon, before only a faint spec remained. Draco was out of commission.

As the spirits stood up off the ground, all was quiet on their battlefield, it was peaceful...

The magical blast began to fade, and golden flecks rained down gently from the sky, like a magically blanket of snow.

The huge surge of magical energy was enough to knock the strength out of anyone, but the pair remained standing...

"LEO! LUCY!" A young girl ran hugged them both from behind. She was a young blonde from the house of Aquarius, wearing their sigils. "Thank you for saving me... I didn't want to marry that brute..." The young mermaid let go, grinning. There was something oddly familiar about her, but you would never be able to tell why.

"No problem!" Loke smiled warmly. The girl then ran back to Aquarius.

Rosie, the little bear started cheering as Yukino stood back up to her feet, next to Ophiuchus who was also okay, just a little beaten up. The small bear ran up to her and hugged her legs. "You're the girl, big brother always talks about! " Ursa minor, Yukinos big Pink bear walked up behind them both, picked them up and cuddled them.

Selene ran up to her boys and husband and wrapped her arms around them. They then all turned to Loke and Lucy.

Loke had swept her down into his arms and had her in an romantic embrace. He stole her breath away with a passionate kiss as the light sparkled around them, casting orange, gold, red, blues, greens, as many beautiful colours as you could thing of around them.

"Ewww..." Rosie laughed, her older brother then covered her eyes. Yukino chuckled to herself. "They did it!"

Scorpio put his arm around Aquarius and smiled at them. "Did you ever think the lion would win her heart?" He asked.

Aquarius rolled her eyes, "No..." she began breaking into a small faint smile. "But.. I am glad he did... The big idiot." She started to laugh quietly, much to Scorpio's surprise.

The golden speckles of light continued falling for hours, and the dragons and serpents helped with the injured. They were free. Draco's little sister was able to return to take the place on the silver key. Nobody was ever officially told what happened to the dragon, but there are a few stories lingering around about his where abouts. All of them involve insights of a flightless lizard, crawling around and cowering in the darkness, not speaking a word to anyone.

Loke broke away from her lips and smiled broadly down to her. He pulled her back into his arms before both their legs gave way out of exhaustion and she toppled onto him. He held onto her, hugging her tightly, nuzzling his face into her neck. He was truly happy.

"You've not been back to the guild for a very long time..." His voice became urgent, "They don't even know you've woken up yet..." He grew wide eyed. "Oh no... They're going to chew me out for sure, now!"

Lucy ran her fingers through his hair smiling. The battle was finally over and she was happier than ever...until those words slipped out of his mouth. "U-Uh oh...uhmmm..." Thinking about how her Guild mates would react was a bit...scary.

"Erza..and Mira are gonna...you know..." They looked at each other and shook in fear, but soon both just laughed, holding onto each other. She was just glad they could be together now. Lucy raised her hand up, admiring the ring on her hand and looked back at Leo who was grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you for making me the happiest girl in the world loke..." She leaned in a pecked his cheek. Everything was perfect...for now.

After helping clear a few things up on the battlefield, The two finally made it back to Magnolia, walking through the darkened streets in hopes of not seeing anyone just yet. Besides, Lucy had something on her mind that she couldn't shake off. That little girl from the house Aquarius looked so familiar... But she just couldn't figure out why. She was making awkward facial expressions thinking hard. Meanwhile, Leo was staring down at her with his eyebrows raised.

They both decided to put their vacation on pause until they got back to the guild and let everyone know Lucy was alive and well. It had been about a month since they last saw or heard from her!

Loke smiled warmly, intertwining his fingers gently with hers down at his side. He was admiring the way the moonlight shined off her hair, and not looking where he was going.

He rather ungracefully managed to trip down a curb, but Lucy was so busy concentrating on something else she missed it. Phew... He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows at her.

"... Lucy, are you okay?" He finally asked. She sure was making some weird faces. "You um... Well, I think you've flicked through every facial expression available whilst I've been watching you... What's up?"

Lucy's nose twitched before looking up at her lion with her big brown eyes. "Hmm? Oh yeah! I'm fine! I promise." She grinned and squeezed his hand letting him know it was okay. "Just a bit nervous about telling everyone about our...Engagement."

Her eyes trailed to the ground as a big grin spread across her face. She shook her head and placed her other hand over her, now, scarlet face, giggling. It was so sudden...All of this was. From the time they met till now has been crazy. From saving him...To their first kiss...First 'time'...First everything and now they were in engaged.

"Heh.." Time really does fly by, eh?

She ran her fingers over her rosy lips, licking them and remembering his taste. His touch...his..errr- 'Alright Lucy calm yourself down!' She shook away her thoughts and gazed back up at him with an angelic smile.

"Perhaps we could break the ice when we're not so exhausted?" But...What Lucy and Loke both forgot was she was still wearing the ring...Eventually someone would notice.

Moments later, they pushed open the guild doors, inhaling and trembling at the same time. "Hope everyone won't be ma-"

"LUCCCCCYYYYYY!''

A stampede of her guild mates rushed over to the two love birds, surrounding them. Some (like Erza) had a dark unfriendly aura above their heads and some (like Makarov) were bawling their eyes out. Everyone was so relieved to see her. She held her hands up laughing nervously and backed away a bit, her eye twitching.

"H-Hey everyone..."

Without realization, there was a certain Salamander dangling from the ceiling above them. He was ready to attack a certain lion.

Loke stepped back a little as the stampede rolled towards them both. Uh oh. He gripped her hand tightly and gave them all a gentle smile. If only they knew what they'd just been through.

"Hey guys..." He looked around, not seeing Natsu at all. 'Lucy i think they're mad at me...' he flicked his eyes at her nervously, his voice trailing into their minds.

'I sort of… Uh, forgot to tell them you woke up, then Aquarius took us away...ahah' He looked back at them all and subtly gulped.

'You forgot to tell them?!' Lucy harshly whispered under her breath, giving him a sassy glare.

"You better apologi-" just before she could finish, Natsu leapt from the ceiling and tackled loke to the ground.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU HAD US WORRIED SICK ABOUT LUCYYY!" He roared, about to punch his lights out. Luckily, with quick thinking, Erza stepped in and grabbed Natsu by the back off his hair and threw him backwards into the other guild mates.

"Ehm.." She pushed her hair back and looked around at everyone, clearing her throat.

"Enough! I'm sure Loke had his reasoning for not telling us..." Her terrifying gaze turned back to Loke, taking a step forward with a crooked grin. "...Right lion boy?"

"Kya!" Loke slammed down into the ground as Natsu tackled him, he was about to respond when an even scarier threat took a hold of Natsu and threw him off Loke. He gulped and looked up at Ezra.

He rubbed the back of his head and smiled slightly. He felt fear as erza looked at him.

"Y-yeah.." He shuffled back to his feet and dusted down his suit, trying to drag that out long enough to gather his thoughts, then rather sheepishly looked back up at everyone. He was wrong, THIS was one of the scariest things he'd done.

"Lucy was summoned to the spirit world as soon as she woke up. Aquarius picked her up" he raised his finger as he spoke, they won't get mad at Aquarius!

"Sorry I didn't tell you all... After that a lot of stuff happened which meant we couldn't leave..."

It didn't help Lucy had a slight tan from all the vacation time they'd already had. He looked around to see everyone's response.

"Hey we saved the spirit world! Ask Yukino if you see her!" He pouted and looked at Lucy awkwardly for help. He didn't want to have his lights knocked out by Erza. Not again.

Lucy slid in front of her lion, defending him. "He's telling the truth...I'll explain later..." Her hands were held up in front of her, that's when someone noticed the ring.

"LUCY!? YOU'RE ENGAGED?!" Mira shrieked and jumped in front of her, taking her hand and examining the ring.

"Oh my goodness! This is gorgeous! Erza look!" And just like that everyone shuffled in closer, inspecting her ring. Lucy face was deep red. She looked back at Loke who was laughing awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Big help he is!

 _'Oh crap... Well now that the cats out of the bag...'_

"Aha...uhh yeah...I am." Lucy smiled a bit , trying to pull her hand away.

"OOOO YOU HAVE TO TELL US EVERYTHING!" Everyone said in unison, giving her the lovely dovey gaga eyes.

"I-I...uh...well..uhm...heh..." She pulled her hand away and slipped behind Loke. "I'll let you explain this one...aha..."

Loke looked at Lucy even more awkwardly and then back at the crowd. "Aha, well I did tell you all I'd make her my wife."

He put his arm around her and a stupid grin spread across his face.

Natsu was still glaring at him from the other side of the room. Loke flicked his eyes to him slightly, behind his shades. He just smirked slightly.

He gave Lucy a side cuddle, "Don't worry, I'll look after her like always. Although she is very good at doing that herself."

As the night went on, Loke and Lucy told them the story about how the spirit king rewarded Lucy and sent them straight on a vacation.

Their vacation was then spoiled right at the wrong moment, when Draco dropped in just as Loke was about to ask the question and kidnapped her! War broke out in the spirit world and together, Loke and Lucy stopped Draco's tyranny! Loke and Lucy had since sat at a table, as they explained. The lion took a hold of Lucy's hand gently under the table. The roaming fangirls had since left in a flood of tears and everyone was sat around, captivated by their story.

After the war with Draco, the celestial world was slowly coming back together. The spirit king came back from his vacation very confused to say the least. Leo was summoned to explain and had a lot of meetings to get it all back to normal. He tried to see Lucy as much as possible, doing his best to try wake up before her and cook her breakfast and give her a morning hug to brighten her day.

The huge workload that came with clearing up the spirit world left the Lion busy and unreachable on some days. Lucy understood, she really did but there was still a small part of her that reached out to him. Perhaps she just needed to be more patient, she knew there was more fun to be had, a wedding to be planned, a future to call her own.

The truth was, Lucy's adventure was only just beginning.


	30. Chapter 30: A Change In The Wind

**CHAPTER 30: A change in the wind**

Loke, the majestically dressed Lion spirit, stood up from the table in the meeting hall with his fellow Zodiacs and stared at the king.

They Have been having a lot of meetings since the Draco incident and were trying to set things straight again. They had been working tirelessly to iron out the remaining quarrels and return to peace. They were finally getting there but it was boring and very taxing for each spirit involved. What annoyed Loke more was that he couldn't see Lucy as much. He started to make excuses at the meetings…

"Oh would you look at that, I'm being summoned!" He lied, before vanishing through his key. It was the middle of the night in the human world.

Gemini transformed into Lucy at the table and danced around, causing her spirits to snigger. Good thing Loke hadn't seen them tease him.

As morning finally peeked its way through Lucy's window, Loke was sat at her table, having cooked her a lovely breakfast. The fresh smell of coffee drifted through the house. He was wearing a nice crisp suit and there were a big bunch of Red roses in the center of the table. He couldn't resist. And now, he waits, holding a copy of sorcerers weekly he randomly picked out from Lucy's vast collection. 'Special edition - featuring mages you'd love to date!' He was sat back on the chair, one leg over the other. He had only just picked it up and started to read it whilst he waited for Lucy to wake up.

After Loke had explained everything to their fellow guild mates, time began to slow down for Lucy, and not in the way she wanted. Loke had been extremely busy since the situation with Draco. Meetings and Reconstruction. It was driving her bonkers not seeing her lion, though he tried his best, it still wasn't enough time. There would never be enough time with him…

Lucy hopped into bed the night before. She had been thinking about summoning him for a mission. Natsu, Gray, & Erza were great teammates, but it was hard to collect the reward when all they did was destroy everything! An annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she nuzzled into her pillow. 'Perhaps I should just be more patient...' And just like that she was off to sleep.

The next morning Lucy awoke to the tantalizing smells of...coffee and food? _Loke must be here!_ She popped her eyes open and shot up out of bed with a huge grin plastered across her face.

Lucy rushed over to her full body mirror and examined herself, fixing her hair the best she could and adjusted her top. As she finished, Lucy darted into the kitchen where she saw her Lion reading her sorcerer weekly magazine. Thinking nothing of it, she slipped under the magazine and into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Loke! God I missed you so much..."

Loke broke into a big grin and raised his arms and wrapped them both around Lucy. "Well good morning, Beautiful." Lucy looked amazing as always, and the sweet smell of cherry blossoms drifted by. _Mmmm._

Lucy was so happy to finally see him. It felt like it had been forever since she'd seen him. "Heh..Good morning handsome"

He planted a warm kiss onto her cheek and put the magazine on the table. It flicked to a page that appears to have been opened a fair few times. His glance caught onto it slightly. _'Hmm? That's me... Must be an old issue.. Ha- wait. '_

He rolled his head to the side and looked at it.

"Mage you want to have as your boyfriend? " he pouted slightly, then looked back at Lucy, raising an eyebrow, "you crossed me out?" He asked, lip twitching into a smirk.

She turned her head and looked down at the magazine, noticing it was the one...of many that she had crossed out Loke's face. Her face lit up 50 different shades of red, snatching the magazine, holding it behind her back. Her gaze rolled back to Loke. She had an innocent look on her her face, now trying to change the subject.

"Eheh..uhm. So how's the meetings? Are you almost done?" Lucy rambled on about whatever whilst trying to tear the page out of the magazine. "Heh.."

Loke ran his fingers up through her hair, and gently held the back of her head. He pulled her down onto his lap with his other arm with an even bigger smile. He didn't care about the magazine. He'd already won.

"Well, Let's say I couldn't wait to get out of the meetings... " He said softly, placing a slow tender kiss onto her lips as he tilted his head to hers. "Mm, Infact I sort of just left the last one saying I got summoned... It was so boring..." He pouted. "Besides, I had other things planned." He smirked

Lucy chuckled and booped his nose. "Such a naughty lion!" Her face lit up with pure joy as she grabbed his face, kissing him all over, speaking each time she came back up.

"Other...*kiss*...things planned? *kiss kiss*" she twitched her nose and sat back, staring down at him with her big, brown mysterious eyes. Lucy tilted her head a bit, biting her bottom lip as she adjusted his suit.

"What kind of things? Am I going to like these things?" She raised her eyebrows smirking slightly, leaning forward. "Heh.."

"Naughty lion Eh?" He laughed, tilting his head to her. He smiled as she covered him in sweet loving kisses. This was definitely worth skipping that meeting.

"Well, I heard you worrying about rent again. Sooo, Mira gave me a job she was saving." He pulled out a page from his pocket. "She said there was a big reward, and more time in the sun!"

He unrolled it and showed Lucy. _'Apprehend Captain Blackwater.'_ There was an image of a tall, fierce looking Man, who looked very much like a Pirate. The reward was very interesting. 600,000 jewels! "What do you think?"

"Ahhh! Loke! Seriously?!" Lucy's face lit up like the sun. She was grinning so much from ear to ear it almost hurt. This was perfect! It had been awhile since they went on a mission together. Lucy bit her bottom lip, gazing down into her lion's eyes before pulling him into the biggest hug ever.

"I swear you know exactly what to do to make me smile! You're the best Loke!" She leaned in and rested her forehead against his, grabbing his face and rubbing her thumbs across his cheeks. Loke was like a dream come true to Lucy. Even the simple things he did made her heart flutter with joy. She was the luckiest girl in the world, and what made it better was that they were engaged. She was his, and he was hers.

"I love you darling..." She stole a kiss before leaping back up, not giving him a chance to kiss her back. "Give me an hour to eat, shower, and dress. Then we can head out okay?" She bent over, ass out, pulling out undergarments from the bottom drawer and placing them into the bag. "Also! Shouldn't we both wear pirate outfits? I think that would be cute!"

Loke was staring as she bent, getting a pretty awesome view. 'Lace... silk… more lace, my god...' He blinked upon hearing her speak and quickly shot his head up to hers, pretending like he wasn't staring.

"You want to wear pirate outfits? Have you ever been aboard a pirate ship Lucy?" He grinned.

"I should re-word that...Have you ever worked on board a Pirate ship before?" He asked, curiously before standing up and walking over to her.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, and leaned up to her ear. "You should definitely wear a long coat, maybe cover your legs..." He trailed his hand up her side.

"Pirates can be big perverts you know..." He cracked a laugh and kissed her cheek.

Lucy took his embrace and placed her hands over his arms, still smiling like an idiot.

"Mmm..yes I figured they would be, but good thing I have you, ehh? And I could always use my signature _'lucy kick'_ on them if they tried anything. She giggled and tilted her head back, looking up at him.

"And quit staring at my butt! Don't think I didn't see you...heh.." Lucy spun herself around, still in his arms and stood on her tippy toes. "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" she winked and pushed away to finish packing.

Dang, she caught him staring at her ass again. _Mm.. Lace..._

Loke looked down at her as she winked, and let her continue packing.

"No... I am sure it would be very intimidating. I've seen you drop Natsu like a fly. Ahaha!" He glowed gold and phased into a long trench coat, made of thick but gorgeous material, it had buttons on the arms and on the tails. He no longer had a tie on his shirt but a red bandana on his head. He wore black trousers and some dark leather sailing boats. On his side was a pretty majestic blade with a silver lion bending around the hilt.

The outfit looked well suited to sea travel, but also well worn in the past. He stood there with one hand in his pocket, as he span a tricorn hat into his hands.

"It's been quite a while since I've been on a ship, should be pretty fun. "

Lucy turned on her heel to face her lion and was slightly shocked to see his attire had changed...and of course he looked great. Like always. Her lips curved into a sassy smirk, biting down on her lip.

"No bad...buuut..." Lucy spun back around and power walked to a smaller dresser.

"Close your eyes! And NO peeking!" She grinned as he obeyed her, turning away. In a flash, Lucy changed into a glamorous (yet still grungy looking) outfit fit for the high seas! She wore a medium length royal blue tench that hugged all of her curves perfectly. It was lined with golden buttons, of course that matched Loke's. She had black leather gloves, which also had a lining of golden stitching at the bottom. To her side sat a 'sword' in a small slip that was on her dark brown belt that matched her scruffy looking pants. And, needless to say, she had on a pair of black laced up boots. Lucy grabbed one last item, a captains hat with a skull embedded at the top. She placed it on her head and glanced at herself in the mirror, giggling at herself.

"Alright you can look! Also...small problem..." As he gazed up at her on awe, Lucy drew her sword...That was made of plastic. "I'm going to need a real one. Haha!...so what do you think?"

Loke put his tricorn hat onto his head and grinned at her new attire. "Now that I like.. Hehe." He strolled over to her and placed his finger onto her hat, "However you're making it look a little too obvious with the skulls. Subtly is a pirates best friend." His finger glow gold and formed the little skull into a lion, with a cheesy grin on his face. "Better."

"Now, I've been thinking... How do you locate a pirate? I say we start in Hargeon, find a ship we can hitch a ride on and see if they have heard of Blackwater... Heh. I have a feeling we maybe able to find the right sort of people to help us there." He winked at her.

"As for the sword..." He picked up the plastic one... "I am very sure we Leo's can help you there too..." He tossed the plastic sword to the side and formed a sword similar to his own, just smaller and less heavy. It was elegant and shiny. He offered her the hilt.

"How does it feel?"

Her eyes narrowed up, staring at the lion symbol that was now on her hat. "Mm?" She pressed her lips together and listened to her lions plan. "Sounds like an excellent plan to me!" Lucy beamed and tilted her head to the side. As he tossed her plastic sword away, her eyes widened when a new sword appeared in his hands. It was magnificent! Lucy careful took it into her own hands, examining it.

"Hmm...I love it!" Her voice squeaked as she stood in front of the mirror once more, playfully swinging it around. "Arrggh!" She giggled at herself, shaking her head at her own stupidity.

"Aha...well we should get going! No time to waste!" The busty mage placed the sword on her side but quickly fled to the table.

"But first I must enjoy this delicious breakfast you made!"

Once they both finished eating, the two of then headed out to Hargeon. For some reason Lucy was feeling a bit silly today. Sneakily, she fell back behind him and jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Gotcha!" She chuckled and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"So Captain Leo! Who shall we try and hitch a ride with?"

Loke took a grip onto Lucy's legs as she jumped on his back, to ensure she didn't fall down. "Well, that depends who we meet in town. However I am aware of a certain pirate who often makes dock here... Might be able to sneak aboard."

He carried her down the street on his back, walking towards a shady looking sailors bar. "You can usually find pirates in here."

"Oooo sneak aboard? Sounds so adventurous!" Lucy chuckled and hopped down off his back, adjusting her outfit as they both strolled into the bar. Her eyes widen as she seen a chair fly towards her, but luckily loke pulled her back before it hit her.

"Oh yeah...we can definitely find one here..heh..." she scratched the back of her head laughing.

"So who exactly is this person? What's _he_ look like?"

Loke didn't answer, and just looked around at the brawl.

People were being thrown over tables, chairs were smashed over people's heads and bottles were being thrown. The smell of alcohol was thick in the air. Blood was carelessly dripping down on the sailors faces, as they continued to brawl, shout and chant profanities.

At the back of the bar, a pair of pretty, long black, laced boots which were resting up on a barrel. There was a large feathered hat on the owner's head, shadowing their face.

Next to them was a tall, strong looking make with tri corn hat and long dark blue trench coat, with golden buttons. He was intimidating, and mysterious, a true pirate. He was holding a bottle of rum, took a quick swig before smashing the bottle on the back of another sailor's head who got too close to him. There were a few others with them in a small group, drinking from tankards.

Loke glanced down at Lucy and then nodded in the direction of the male who was towering over the group. "Over there. We sneak on their ship..." He smirked, tilting his hat down to shadow his own face from view.

Lucy wasn't even phased by all the brawling going on. It was almost a natural thing to see in Fairy Tail anyway. She furrowed her eyebrows and squinted at the group of people Loke was motioning her to look at. The tall male looked intimidating, like he'd make you walk the plank without caring to hear your side of the story. She gulped but nodded.

"A-Alright.." was all she said before a beer bottle smacked her in the head. Now seeing stars and only hearing the faint sounds of Loke's voice, she stumbled to the side for a moment but luckily caught her balance. She rubbed her forehead trying to shake off the hazy feeling. Loke had held her up so she wouldn't fall.

Lucy looked up at her lion and perked up. "Two...Loke's? Heh.."

Loke placed his hand on the back of her head, looking down at her. "S-sorry, I missed that one… Let's get you out of here. We will sneak on tonight..."

With that he took her out of the building to safety.

As the day slowly sank into night, sailors slowly stumbled back to the docks. Loke and Lucy had managed to sneak on board and were hiding as stowaways around some of the cargo, hiding with all the barrels. Loke had his arm around her, noticing a group of four, finally walk on board to join the deckhands already on deck. The male from earlier shot into the sky, the shot echoing across the bay. "Back to your stations! Your captain is back!" He laughed, slightly drunk and stepped up to the helm and leaned against it.

Two similarly aged men followed behind, one was resting a sniper on his shoulder and walked over to the mast. "30% chance of them doing as you asked the first time, 100% chance a second time..." He smirked, also intoxicated and climbed back up towards the crows nest.

The other male grabbed a bottle of rum from a deck hand, angrily. "I didn't say you could use those supplies, if you drink them all before we leave maybe we will have to use you as payment for more.." He growled and drank the rest of it himself.

Finally, a heeled boot stepped up the gangplank, and everyone went silent.

 _Thud, thud, thud._

A menacing black staff, with a serpent carved into the top of it, clashed onto the deck. This pirate wasn't as tall as the first male, but was slender, had a dark elegant and slightly burnt coat, long crimson hair and wide brimmed black hat with large purple feather. They had a lot of odd, mostly gold and gem encrusted jewellery, probably stolen, dotted around their person.

Their ringed finger gripped the serpent's head tightly before tilting their head upwards.

"Aaayeee, Captaaain!" A drunk deck hand boldly run up towards them. The pirate was swiftly whacked in the stomach with the staff and tossed overboard without a second glance. As they lifted their glance upwards towards the moonlight, it became apparent to everyone. This was no man? The captain of this ship, the Black Lotus, as a women.

"Captain Nightshade~" the intimidating man from the bar chanted drunkenly from the helm. "I think the crew need telling twice."

She narrowed her eyes and strolled up to the helm to him, she got in close before flicking her body back to look down at her lazy crew. She gritted her teeth. "TO YOUR STATIONS YOU LAZY BASTARDS. We have gold to be salvagin'!"

Loke glanced awkwardly at Lucy, and gave her a weak smile as they hid behind the barrels. He didn't tell her the captain was a woman, and an attractive one at that.

Lucy inhaled sharply and her eyes bulged out as she slowly turned her head towards loke who had an innocent look on his face. A black aura rose above her head as she smacked the top of his hat causing it to go over his face and pushed him onto his ass.

"Sometimes I just wanna smack the hell outta you, yah damn lion! All these women..." she whispered harshly, her glare was intense but it soon ended as she crossed her arms, poking her lip out and whipping her head away.

Loke reached out to touch her but she swatted him away and scooted to the other side. "Don't touch me! Tccch!" Her lion pouted at her and sulked quietly, the fake crocodile tears making him look pitiful. Lucy rolled her eyes.

Finally they set sail…

"Mr DuBlanc!" The Captain called up to the man who was in the crow's nest. He was the gentleman with the sniper earlier, who was the spotter, and ace marksman. He was sitting comfortably on a stool enjoying a bottle of Port. He looked down at her.

"Aye, Captain?" He said in a dull tone.

"Keep an eye on the horizon. I don't want anyone interfering with my plans..." She replied.

"Aye, Captain. As you command." He picked up his telescope and scouted out the horizon.

The captain seemed to have everyone under control. She seemed well respected and had a flair of elegance in the way she acted. Her staff was attached to her back in a similar fashion to Mystogen's staves. Her tattered but beautiful long coat flowed behind her as she walked back across the deck.

The intimidating man from the bar was named Max. He was the ship's first mate, and did a lot of the work around the ship. He too was well respected and made sure everything was in order. He was currently at the helm whilst the captain strolled across top deck. She was talking to Ruko now, the boatswain. He was in charge of the ships supplies and still drinking the rum he confiscated earlier.

"Captain, our supplies should hold us for a few weeks, but I suggest making a stop along the way for fresh produce. We don't want the crew gettin' scurvy again..." He was pretty smart.

The Captain smirked at him and patted him on the head in a patronising manner.

"Good idea, Ruko..." She scrunched up his hat and then paused. She sniffed the air and strolled over to a cluster of barrels.

"Now. Ruko. Tell me something, do we have enough supplies to cater for any crew that jumped ship?"

"Aye, Captain. More or less..."

She raised her boot onto the barrel and peered down. "What about for a pair of stowaways?" She glared down at them both with piercing blue eyes.

Loke hid his face under his hat.

Captain Nightshade swiftly proceeded to grab him by the collar and yank him to his feet to face her.

"I could smell that cologne of yours, Leo. It hasn't changed in a long time… If you want to sneak aboard my ship, at least be a little more subtle about it."

She then pulled out a small blade and pressed it on his jaw and tilted his head up to get a better look at him.

"Hmm, you've grown up a little since our last encounter... Look at that jawline. I could 'cut' myself on it." She removed the blade and looked at Lucy. "You know it's bad luck to bring a lady on board, Leo..."

Her first mate jumped down from the helm to her side. He gave Leo an intimidating frown, causing Loke to gulp.

"Uhh, yea... " Damnit! I forgot I smelt this great... Loke stepped slightly in front of Lucy.

"What are you doing on board the Black Lotus, Leo the Lion, and friend?" Captain Nightshade smirked, her long scarlet hair flickered around in the wind..

Lucy pushed Leo aside and got in front of him, pointing her index finger in the Captain's face, giving her an evil glare.

"First off. I'm his FIANCE...Not friend." The look on the crew members face was worrying Loke.

They all had their jaws dropped...Almost to the ground it seemed. Nobody has spoken to their captain with such an attitude…

"Secondly, instead of being so hostile you should be happy to see him since it's been awhile. You're such a rude pirate!"

Lucy folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot.

"And third-"

Loke tapped her shoulder.

"Uhh Lucy you shouldn't-"

She smacked his hand away and twitched her eyes.

"Shut it before I chew you out. I'll be having a talk with you later anyway..."

The irritated mage leaned in closer and poked the crimson haired pirates hat, almost knocking it off.

"And third...keep your hands off of MY MAN...got it?" Lucy folded her arms away, staring the woman in the eyes.

Captain Nightshade gave Lucy a cold glance and raised her eyebrow. Max, the first mate started to storm over but she quickly raised her hand to stop him in his tracks.

Having taken in all this information she took Lucy's hand firmly and looked down at it, removing her leather gloves.

"Fairy Tail, Huh." She stated, raising her hand and showing the crew. "She's a Fairy Tail guild wizard, gentlemen!"

They started to laugh. The scarlet haired woman let go of her wrist and looked at Leo. "Your key holder is a feisty one, isn't she?" She smirked.

"Listen, Missy." She growled at Lucy.

"You seem to have the wrong end of the stick. Now answer my question. What do you want with me and my ship, Miss Fairy Tail Mage, Fiance of Leo the Lion?"

Loke decided it be in his best interests to keep his mouth shut for once. His history with this woman was too complicated to explain. Has Lucy never met pirates before!? She's too bold...

Confused by the laughing she gave everyone a confused look, arching her head back.

"Errr...".but as soon as the woman growled, Lucy's lioness side came back, digging her heels into the ground.

"Well, we're on a mission okay? And we needed to hitch a ride on a ship..." She pointed back at Leo.

"...And it was HIS idea to jump aboard your ship. Not mine...if I knew you were a woman, I wouldn't have agreed." Lucy stepped forward and scrunched up her nose more, the biggest black aura Loke has ever seen floated above her head. She was honestly scarier than Erza and Mira's Satan soul combined at the moment.

"Now answer my question, miss drunkened breath. What is your relationship with my spirit?"

Loke laughed awkwardly and interrupted . "-So, Can you help us track Blackwater!?" He quickly interrupted. She snapped her glance back to him.

"Blackwater? Ah, a Fairy Tail Mage after his bounty. Now it all makes sense. We should be stopping at the cove where his ship usually makes birth, but I really think you should reconsider..."

The crew seemed restless as the sound of his name.

"Plus, he won't let a woman aboard his ship. Not after a Siren slaughtered his crew... Her blood has stained his ship, and thus he renamed his little Barnacle, 'Siren's Blood'. He'd kill you if he had the chance." She rolled her eyes.

Loke frowned, now realizing how dangerous this mission was. Damnit Mira, you promised us the sea and Sun!

"For old times sake will you do this favour?" He asked.

She glared at him, and looked back to Lucy. "...Fine. Give these two Max's quarters. Leo, help secure the cannons. I will need to have a word with your lady friend..."

Loke nodded awkwardly and turned towards Max, and stopped quickly. He was still glaring at him. He took Loke's shoulder and lead him away, grumbling. "Bloody Lion… Why am I stuck with you again..."


	31. Chapter 31: A storm on the horizon

**Chapter 31: A Storm on the Horizon**

Storms come in many shapes, sizes and even names, but the worst kind of storms for a sailor on Fiore's oceans, came with pirates from the feared and infamous ship - Siren's blood. It is said that those who encounter it, rarely live to tell the tale about its feared captain Blackwater, and his deadly crew of men.

However, there was one who managed to escape unscathed, due to it not being just a crew of pirates, but a crew full of powerful mages. Their infamy was slowly creeping up the ranks despite their captain being such an innocent looking woman; The Black Lotus, and Its Captain M. Nightshade...

This particular storm followed Nightshades crew, who were now harboring a pair of stowaways from the Fairy Tail guild.

Just out of reach of the Black Lotus's spotters telescope, thick swirling clouds ripped through the sky, carving out a path which followed the Black Lotus.

Another woman was standing at the peak of a ship in the storm's center. The ships wood was almost black with a haunting red tint to it which sat so deeply within the grain, no amount of scrubbing could remove it.

The woman, who was wearing men's sailing gear was gazing out into the wide open sea, looking at the blue skies in front of them, currently untouched by storm clouds. Her eyes were low and she had that 'resting Bitch face' that intimidated many. Her name was Jinx, but she was not the captain, just the 'right hand _man_ '. The wind flapped through her glamorous fiery mid length hair, her piercing blue eyes going grey, as she was using her magic, "Storm control" to pick up the winds, causing both ships to move faster in this hunt.

"I shall see you soon, Nightshade...very...very...soon..." She growled.

Siren's blood was thirsty for its prey, and the mentality on board was that of a prison camp. Do as you're told, don't answer back and you won't be killed.

Jinx's hand hopped up onto the side of the ship, strolling along the edge, her hands behind her back and her eyes closed, concentrating on the sound of the wind as it scythed past her ears.

"Woman !" A rough bellowing voice called out to Jinx, but didn't startle her. She popped one eye open and stared up at the bearded man standing before her.

"Tch...What do you want old man?" She spat at him, hopping down from the side and landing almost perfectly.

"Is that how you talk to your captain?!" He grabbed her jaw, squeezing it and tilted her head up to look into his eyes.

"Tch...J-just tell me what you want already...C-Captain.. "

The man, known as Blackwater squinted at her and exhaled giving her an annoyed look.

"You best be glad I need you, or I would have already had you painting my deck with your blood."

Jinx rolled her eyes as he shoved her away.

"I need you to pick up the speed, we can't lose them. It's now or never,and you best be glad I was kind enough to allow this." He ordered.

Jinx closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"A-As you wish Captain..." She muttered, the wind catching up to Blackwater's ship, allowing them to make pace and slice through the water.

Back on the Black Lotus, Lucy had just been invited into the Captain's office.

"Call me Nightshade for now, although that is not my birth name, it's all you really need to know for the time being" said, the long crimson haired woman, who now smiled at Lucy.

Inside was quite ornate, there was a huge navigational chart in the center, and a star chart on the wall. At the far end of the room, was another set of doors, leading to the captain's quarters, and another off to the side, going downstairs to the first mate's cabin.

"Sit." Nightshade commanded, as she shut the doors to her cabin. "It was Lucy, correct?"

Lucy looked around the the cabin and sat down with her hands folded in her lap like a proper lady, and not a pirate. She sighed and gazed up at Nightshade, nodding.

"Mhm. Lucy Heartfilia." The busty blonde smiled weakly and turned her attention to looking around the room. It was quite nice for pirates. Definitely not what she expected. But of course, there was something that caught her eyes.

"Is that...A cabinet completely filled with alcohol?!" There was so much in one cabinet, and so many different kinds she had never heard of before. She pondered where they all came from, what land, how old they were, it was fascinating in itself. It was something straight out of Cana's dreams.

Nightshade grinned at her proudly. "Ah, So you've spotted my collection...Heh..." She opened it up, grabbed a bottle, along with two small glasses.

"We have a lot to discuss, Lucy Heartfilia." She brought them over and poured them both a glass of port. "Best get comfortable." She laughed, put the bottle down and sat in her large chair, facing Lucy.

"So... A celestial wizard huh?" She seemed to beam at the idea. " I am curious to know more about you." She rested her head on her palm, gazing over at the blond.

Meanwhile, Loke was having a wonderful time. Max, otherwise known as "Hawk" by the crew and Nightshades first mate had requested he help move the cannons and secure them for their passage. The lion reluctantly obeyed and helped a few of the deck hands tie them up.

"20 years and you still look _so_ young..." The first mate said with an annoyed tone.

"I could say the same for all of you..." Loke replied, rolling his eyes at him.

Max smirked at Loke and placed his hand on his shoulder. "That's the cannon's sorted.. Now you could stop being so sour faced and join us for a game of poker... Y'know, Or you can scrub the deck?"

Lucy didn't want to seem rude, so she took the glass, staring down into the cup and swishing the port around, before lifting it up to her nose to smell it. It wasn't fowl, just really strong! The smell alone tingled her nose, but Hell, she was supposed to be a Pirate.

Lucy leaned back and took a sip. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

The blonde looked up at the crimson haired pirate and took another sip before speaking.

"Ask away...I'm all ears..."

Unfortunately for them, A storm was catching up to them. Quickly.

Jinx closed her eyes and concentrated, inhaling deeply as she popped them back open, the clouds in the sky grew darker and darker, lighting flashing through them - And this was only just the beginning.

Captain Nightshade grinned from behind her glass, and took a sip herself about to savour the taste when Lightning flashed through the windows. "Urgh, a storm. Ruko, our resident water mage should be able to guide us through it " She pouted a little and looked back at the blonde..

"Okay, So Leo is your fiance?!" She blinked and removed her hat, revealing a black bandana.

"You must be the _lion tamer..._ " She chuckled at an old memory. "He used to act so high and mighty about being untamable and wild when he was on board, trying to fit in with the rest of the guys." She smirked, and put a few other bottles on the table. Rum, Wine, Port and Whisky.

"In answer to your question as to how I know your spirit, the answer is quite simple." She replied, standing up and removing her long coat to hang it on a hook. Her belt revealed the answer.

She smirked, raising her own gate keys to Lucy and placed them on the table. Among the Captains collection were a large cluster of silver gate keys, all different to what Lucy had seen before.

Lucy choked as she took a sip of port, causing it to go up into her nose and damn did it sting.

"Ah-haha...you're a celestial wizard?!" This made Lucy perk up. She rubbed her nose to knock away the stinging sensation and leaned forward with wide eyes.

"And yes...I am Leo's fiance..." the blonde mage smiled like an idiot before gazing back down at the keys, her mouth wide open is awe.

"But what does this mea-" Lucy was interrupted.

"I used to be his owner." She said, casually pouring Lucy and herself another glass of port.

"Wait..." Lucy froze and stood back up, staring at Nightshade.

"You _used_ to be his owner? But, why did you get rid of him?! I mean...I guess I'm kinda glad you did but, I'm still curious as to why you'd give up such a glorious key!"

Lucy's vision became a bit hazy… She looked too young for a start, and this makes no sense, he was with Karen before...

Meanwhile, Loke was below deck, sat around a barrel with Max, Ruko and a few deckhands. DuBlanc had come down from the mast, but soon rage quit the game of poker after losing a stack of gold in the first round. He grumbled and returned to his post. Max lit a cigar and offered it to Loke. The lion took it and coughed. "Urgh.. it's been too long..." He said, giving it back quickly.

Max just laughed, laying his cards down on the barrel to reveal a Royal Flush.

"Come on Leo, you used to be good at this...Hahaha"

Ruko groaned and sat back, waving the smoke out the way. "Max is just too cocky..." He muttered. "All that special treatment from the captain's got to your head..." He smirked slightly before having the barrel of Max's gun bashed on his head.

Max bit the cigar and glared down at Ruko. "Oi, Be careful with your words, Boatswain."

"Hmph, whatever. I am going back to work.." Ruko replied, before going back to the top deck.

After putting him back in his place, Max calmly sat down and looked at the lion. "Another round?"

Lightening lit up the sky, as a loud crack of thunder boomed the sky, piercings everyone's ears. The waves began to rise, rocking the ship slightly. Jinx of Siren's blood was enjoying this way too much.

Nightshade held back a snicker at Lucy's response before Ruko quickly burst in.

"Captain!" He caught his breath. "I am going to get the ship to safety at the next port to avoid this storm... Is this okay?"

She looked up from her glass and nodded, "I trust your judgement Ruko. Get us out of the storm quickly. We should make it by morning." Ruko nodded to her and ran out, hands glowing blue as he tamed the water around them to be under his control.

Nightshade resumed what she was saying,

"I gave Leo up because our condition was not fair on him. I didn't feel right holding onto a spirit such as himself, when he could be out with another doing greater things as Zodiac leader." That clearly wasn't the only reason.

Nightshade looked around the age of 25, and had a youthful complexion, but her piercing blue eyes were older than her face. They were similar to Leo's in that sense. Eye's that told another story entirely.

"My crew is cursed, miss Heartfilia. We don't age. Well, we stopped ageing..." She put her staff on the table. It was made of ebony, but had a beautifully ornate, and frightening serpent coiled around the shaft, its head sitting where her hand would normally sit with piercing eyes made of ruby's.

"That's the problem with a pirates greed. You pick up whatever is shiny, whatever can give you power without thinking of the consequences..." She looks down at the ebony staff, with a frown. "And then its too late..." She narrowed her eyes.

"Even with my spirits by my side, living forever is a curse. Yes, I learned new magic. But I can't grow old, I can't have a family because I don't want to sit around and watch them grow old as I remain youthful..." She sighed and knocked back another glass, and poured out some rum, offering another to Lucy.

The thunder nearly gave poor Lucy a heart attack. On top of That she was feeling a bit buzzed. Her vision hazed as she squinted a bit and rubbed her eyes. "Mhmm" the slightly drunken mage managed to listen to Nightshade, nodding and taking a few more sips of port...Which she really shouldn't do, but, screw it.

 _'Cursed?'_ Her nose twitched as she sat forward, extremely interested now...

Once she had a moment to think, Nightshade picked up her silver keys and removed one.

"Another reason was because this one and Leo used to keep bickering like a pair of children" She smiled, and stood up. "Open, gate of the little lion! Leo Minor."

As she spoke, a little adorable lion cub leapt out, wearing ornate light gold armour, and big smile. He looked up at her and rubbed up against her side like a cat. "Mistress, it's good to see you again." He purred. She picked him up and gave him a hug, very much out of her intimidating character.

"Isn't he a cutie!?" She beamed.

As Nightshade opened up the gate of minor Leo, Lucy's mouth dropped and let out a small squeal.

"Ohmygoodness!" Her words bunched together from speaking so fast.

"Soooo cuuuute!" She bounced from her seat and nearly stumbled over the desk, but managed to keep her balance and swiftly moved over to where Nightshade was sitting and bent down.

"Wait wait wait..." Lucy crossed her eyes when it clicked in her head.

"How long...have you been alive for?!"

Leo Minor looked up at Nightshade as Lucy asked the question of her age. He nuzzled her arm.

"I'd say it has been around 40 odd years now..." She frowned a little. "Your Leo used to look younger back then... A guess spirits do age a little Huh?" She said, looking at her spirit who nodded a little a her.

She returned her gaze back to Lucy.

"Lucy are you okay? You seem a little drunk." She smirked and tilted her head to the side.

"Well, it will help with the disguise you will need. If you're going to sneak onto Blackwaters ship... We're going to have to change a few things..." Her grin darkened, and she rested her hand on her lips.

Meanwhile, Loke and Max had now made their way above deck, and joined Ruko at the helm. The crew were working hard at navigating the ship out of this unnatural storm. Ruko was an expert water Mage, and was doing a fine job of retaining a high speed as they cut through the storm and massive waves

Loke was adjusting the rigging with a deck hand, whilst max was at the helm. Ruko to his side concentrating as his magic tamed the water around the ship.

The spotter, DuBlanc was having a fine old time trying to stay put in the crow's nest. He grumbled, trying to look out through the storm with his telescope. He had gone go far as to tie himself on with some rope. His goggles were over his eyes protecting him from the sea spray.

"D-Drunk? *hicc* I'm totally n-not drunk!" Lucy squinted and stared at the captain creepily before letting out a loud laugh. "Hehehe...there's 2 of you..." Nightshade was giving Lucy some questionable looks. It seems the poor girl has never tasted the effects of a pirates diet before.

The boat rocked from waves crashing into the sides causing Lucy to lose her balance and fall right onto the floor, face first.

"Ooooft! *hicc* hehehe..." Lucy crawled army style back to her seat and pulled herself back into the chair...slowly. Once she got up, the bust blonde squinted at Nightshade again, poking out her lips.

"I want my Loke…" She said through another hiccup. God she was a mess. The captain sort of regretted giving her more port.

The storm continued to rage. Waves rocked against the ship and rattled the bottles in the cabinets. The wind whipped the sails making a savage flapping noise. It began raining sideways, making it hard to see where anyone was going. Jinx couldn't help but to laugh...She enjoyed ruining people's days.

Nightshade rolled her eyes and walked over to her. "You've never been drunk before, have you?" She laughed. "I'll get your lion, hold on." She chuckled before walking out and shouting down at the deck hands.

As she walked back in some time later, she was soaked through from the rain, she didn't put her coat on, but didn't seem too bothered. She strolled casually back in, covered in water, dripping all over the floor.

Loke quickly ran back up, also soaked through, and hung up his coat. Water dripped off his hair which was sticking to his face in a messy manner. He looked back at Lucy, then to Nightshade, raising an eyebrow questionably.

"...Did you..." He paused, looking at the collection of bottles on the table. His eyes narrowed and he turned back to Nightshade. "You got her drunk, didn't you?" He said, walking over to Lucy.

The Captain smirked and strolled back, Lion Minor bounding around behind her. He stuck his tongue out at Leo, who only frowned back at him.

"I may have..." She rested her hands on the back of her head, and looked at him with a pout. "Didn't realize she couldn't handle 4 glasses of port... and a little rum"

Max walked in too, looking over at Lucy and just started to snigger. He hung his coat up next to Nightshade's, grabbed a glass and poured himself some rum.

Lucy perked up when she heard her lion and flew into his arms almost knocking him over.

"LOOOOKKKKKEEEEE!" She nuzzled her face into his chest, clinging onto him for dear life.

Loke just patted her head and chucked, a sweat dropped rolled down the side of his head. Lucy slid down and onto the floor. She was too drunk to hold onto him for too long. Luckily Loke caught her before she made it to the ground and pulled her to her feet.

"I missssssed you my big sexy lion! Let me love you!" Lucy pouted and went to hug him again, but a big wave crashed into the side of the boat, sending Lucy backwards, ramming into max and onto the ground.

Needless to say...Loke and Nightshade weren't exactly happy about the situation...

Max wasn't too pleased either. The wave caused him to spill his rum. However, he was then knocked over.

"Ow..." He furrowed his eyebrows and looked up at the drunk, busty blonde sitting on his lap.

"Hmm? What are you doing?"

Loke quickly ran over and scooped her up in his arms. "Ahaahaha... Well... Time to sleep off all that alcohol.." He laughed awkwardly before shooting a slight glare at Max.

Nightshade raised another questionable eyebrow to Lucy and went to help Max up. She smirked at him and adjusted his shirt. "Watch yourself..." She said up to her first mate, with a wink.

The woman quickly turned on her heel back to the couple. "Your quarters are down there for tonight." She pointed to the room downstairs, it was the first mate's room and needless to say, it was still nice.

"Get some sleep and meet me at dawn. I will need to help Lucy prepare."

Loke was still glaring at Max as he left, walking down the stairs with the drunken blond in his arms. "I don't think I've ever seen you this drunk..." He said to her quietly. A small smile formed on the edge of his lips as he opened the door to the room, closed it behind him and put her down on the bed.

Lucy flopped onto the bed, face first into the pillow and let out a giggle, raised her head and reached out to grab Loke but was only grabbing air, swatting at it.

"WHY *hicc* CAN'T I GRAB *hicc* YOU LOKE?!" The mage pouted and gave up, dropping her hand over the edge of the bed and groaned loudly.

"Loke! Loke...Leooooooooo...heh..."

He raised his brows and shook his head, sitting, smirking and sat on the edge of the bed. Lucy felt the bed sink in and with all her strength leaned up and grabbed him, pulling him down...His face landing in her boobs.

"Oh my...Heheheh...you frisky lion..." Lucy shook her _tata's_ and bit her lip.

"Here...kitty kitty kitty...hehehehehehhehehe..."

Loke fell right into her chest, and managed to shuffle up quickly, with a tint of pink across his cheeks. "Lucy. " He said, kicking his shoes off and lying to her side. He ran his fingers down through her hair.

"You should get some sleep. " He tilted his head with a soft smile. "Lay your head down, close your eyes." he said with a slightly concerned voice.

The mage grumbled like a child but obeyed her lion and curled up against him. He brushed her hair behind her ear and watched her. She had her rosy lips parted and was lightly snoring. Her hand was gripping the front of his shirt and every now and then, her eyelids twitched. Lucy looked absolutely beautiful...A little drunken angel…

"Zzzzz..."

Loke looked down at his sleeping princess. She needed to regain her strength (and balance). As much as he enjoyed the warmth of her chest, he didn't feel right taking it any further with her when she is that drunk. He carefully kissed her cheek and laid back on the warm bed next to her.

 _'Blackwater sounds dangerous... Max told me what he was like when they encountered them before. I don't think Lucy should even step foot on his ship.'_ He thought, as he watched her sleep soundly next to him. _'Suppose I should get some sleep too.'_

The lion tilted his head back into the pillow and tried to sleep during this storm. Every inch of him was tense. There was something wrong with this weather. His sleep was broken and pretty awful.

Back on top deck, Ruko had managed to raise a thick mist around their ship and began cloaking them. The sails were full and the ship cut through the storm with his help. He was concentrating hard.

Nightshade and Max put their coats back on and went back outside.

"Ruko. Good work, we need to make port by dawn. Think you can handle it or would you like a hand?" She said, walking up to him.

"I think I can keep it up for now, Captain. As long as there aren't any more surprises." He said.

She patted his shoulder. "Good work. Let me know if you start feeling weak." She strolled across deck towards Max and walked with him by her side.

"Do you think they'll be safe on his ship?" she said with a hushed tone as they went back inside.

"As long as Blackwater doesn't figure out she's a woman, and not a Fairy Tail mage out for his capture..." Max Replied.

"Lucy had a guild mark on her hand. We will need to get her safely covered up." Nightshade questioned.

"What about Leo?" He asked.

"Leo? He's a spirit. He's not a member of Fairy Tail, right?" She pondered.

"Who knows... But won't Lucy grow weak with him being around all the time? I remember you-" Max was interrupted.

She raised her finger to him. "I was a weaker person back then, Max. Having the leader of the zodiacs at my hand was great but he uses the most magic to summon...I just hope she can handle it better than I." She said, sitting back down, thinking deeply to herself.

"We need to think of a plan…" She muttered to her first mate. "Just in case something goes wrong…"


	32. Chapter 32: Hair of the Dog

**Chapter 32 - Hair of the Dog**

Siren's blood was almost in reach of the Black Lotus, shrouded by the thick storm clouds made by their own resident Weather mage.

Blackwater, who was concentrating on some navigational charts, was interrupted by one of his men.

"Capitan ! There's a ship straight ahead! Should we ready the cannons?!"

Blackwater's sat up straight and leaned forward, resting his elbow on his chair creaked under his large mass.

"Not just yet boy. We've got some investigating to do. Send Jinx to me immediately!" His voice was harsh and unfriendly...It seems Jinx had done something to piss him off.

"Y-Yes Capitan! Right away!"

Jinx entered Blackwaters office. Her expression was blank and her hands were folded behind her back.

"Yes Capit-"

He flew up from his chair and wrapped his whole hand over her face, slamming her head back against the wall, nearly cracking the wood.

"...ain ...errggggh .."

Her body tensed up, peering up at a pissed off man through the spaces between his fingers.

"What did I do this time?" She asked, through gritted teeth.

Blackwaters pushed on her and clenched his teeth tightly, wanting to squeeze her head like a melon until it burst.

"What is this I hear that you have been raising coin for yourself by doing unspeakable things with my crew?!"

Jinx's eyes grew wide as she let out a gasp.

"You know damn well I wouldn't do anything like that! What kind of person do you take me for?!"

"A whore! That's what! All women are whores who manipulate men!"

The weather mage had enough of his shit talk and went to grab his arm, but Blackwater reacted quickly and jerked her up by her hair, tossing her like a rag doll to the door.

"You're disgusting. Perhaps I should have just left you to die on that beach. Don't ever let me catch you doing something like that or I'll make you walk the plank with weights on your legs!"

He spat at her, spit flying and hitting her in the face, also covering his beard. He truly was a foul man.

"Yes Captain...I understand..."

Jinx sighed and pushed herself back up, adjusting her outfit and exhaled.

"Now get out of here you filthy whore."

Her mind raced with what she loved to do to him, but knew he was only doing what was best for her. Or so he had drilled into her head...The poor girl didn't know what true kindness was. Only hate.

Meanwhile, on another patch of the ocean, the Black Lotus sailed on.

The crew had managed to get some rest, whilst a few worked through the night to get them out of the storm and get out of view from Blackwater for a while. They still had no idea they were being followed.

At dawn, Nightshade burst through the room and woke the loving couple up with Lion Minor pouncing on Loke's chest with a cheeky grin. "Wake up Uncle Leoooo~" He laughed as he jumped, causing Loke to sit bolt upright, having the wind knocked out of him.

"Wooaah - What?" He coughed in confusion before looking down at him. "Oh... It's you."

"Miss me?" The little lion smirked.

"No. I saw you like a week ago in the spirit world." Loke's eyebrow twitched at him, irritated. They had a weird relationship.

"Ahem!" Nightshade interrupted. "Lucy, I need to prepare you. Come with me." She said, walking out.

Lucy flew up and did a awkward ninja move from being startled, whacking Loke in the face by accident. Her hair was a complete mess.

"HUH?! WHO'S THERE?! I'LL KICK YOUR-...ohhh...heh...oopps!" Her head pounded like someone was beating on the drums and her eyes dropped from how awful she felt.

"Ngggh..." the blonde mage groaned loudly and crawled over her lion and onto her feet, fixing her hair so it wouldn't look so nappy. Before leaving she turned and gave Loke a quick kiss and followed Nightshade out the door. The sun hit her eyes making her hangover 10x worse than it already was.

She tilted her hat down over her eyes a bit, only watching Nightshade's feet moving...Today was going to be very interesting.

Loke rubbed his face and blinked. Lion minor found it hilarious and laughed so hard he poofed back to the spirit world.

"...Well then..." Loke stood up and stretched a little. He strolled over to the little window and looked out. "Hmm, Land? and Blue skies..." He stared for a moment, cracking his knuckles, still waking up from a rocky sleep.

Captain Nightshade lead Lucy into her quarters. Max's coat was hung on the back of her door. She turned to Lucy and asked her to sit and offered her some water.

"Its either that or rum... Both will get rid of the hangover... Just one will work faster than the other." She smirked and gave her a wink.

"Now, I need to make you presentable for Black water... In other words... You need to look less like a woman." She tilted her head and found a black bandana.

"Tie your hair around in this, so it looks short." She lowered her gaze to her. ".. Wear those gloves to cover your guild mark and..."

She glanced down at her chest." I'm going to need more than one bandage for those..." She blinked, and laughed a little under her breath.

The blonde mage squinted in confusion, rubbing her head as she sat down. "Look less like a woman? But-..."

She pulled her hat off, placing it in her lap. Lucy took a sip of water, pondering on how this mission would go.

 _'Come luce...pull yourself together...'_

There was a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. One that made your whole body numb. The bad feeling that makes it hard to concentrate on anything. But this feeling wasn't about her. It was about someone else. She couldn't put her finger on whom, but she would definitely keep a close eye out on Loke once the mission starts.

However, Lucy didn't have time to question these feelings anymore. She lifted her head to Nightshade who was tapping her fingers against the desk, giving her a 'seriously? Were you even paying attention?' Kind of look. Many people have given her that look before.

"O-Oh sorry..uhm got it. Gotta look like less of a woman! More like a man...heh..."

Nightshade was kind enough to help Lucy. Pinning her hair up into a bandana, and TIGHTLY tying bandages around her large breast.

"Hold still Blondie!" Nightshade pressed her boot against Lucy's back, pulling at the bandages.

"Can't...breathe..." Lucy crossed her eyes, puffing out her cheeks and tried to gasp for air.

"Why did you have to have such big BREAST!?" Finally Nightshade quickly tied the wraps, having broken into a slight sweat at how tough that was.

The now flat chested blonde exhaled a sigh of relief. Finally, she could, kind of breathe. Though this was nothing compared to the corsets she had to wear when she was younger.

She strolled over to the mirror and placed her hat back on, along with her top, and mid-length trench. Lucy examined her own body, looking from the side, poking her lips out and furrowing her brows.

"Hmmm..."

She turned on her heels to Nightshade and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well? What do you think?"

Back on Siren's Blood, all was not as fine and dandy.

Blackwater sat at his desk, holding a piece of paper in his hands. He couldn't stop reading it over and over with that wretched grin on his face. One of the crew members had brought it to him early this morning.

"Interesting..."

He ran his tongue over his lips before picking up his glass, sipping at some black rum. Jinx appeared in the doorway. She was about to knock on the wall to get Blackwaters attention, but he had already sensed her presence.

"Come in Jinx...take a seat.." He said, without looking up, as he picked something out of his beard.

She strolled in and seated herself in front of his large ebony desk.

"You needed me Captain?"

Blackwater ran his fingers over his chin and down his long beard, raising his wicked eyes up at her.

"Do you know of a guild by the name of" He lowered his eyes back down to check it again, "Fairy Tail?" He said in a calm yet demonic tone.

"I've heard of them. Supposedly they're great wizards. Why do you ask?" Jinx leaned forwards, glancing down at the paper in his hands.

"Those Fairies have sent out a few of their guild mates to claim our bounty" he gave Jinx a serious look and slid the paper towards her. She immediately took it in her hands, skimming over it before cracking a smirk.

"Well well well...Seems like we've got ourselves some new enemies. Shall I take a boat back to Magnolia and destroy their guild with a hurricane?" Her eyes narrowed back down to the paper.

"Not exactly...I do believe the mages they sent are nearby. I need you to do some investigation while we've stopped."

Jinx flicked her eyes back up.

"But you said I could go after-"

"YOU DARE TO DENY YOUR CAPTAINS ORDERS?!" He shot up from his seat causing it to spin the other way and slammed his hands on the desk. Jinx flinched from the sound, letting out a annoyed sigh.

"Do you have anymore information on their whereabouts?"

Blackwater clenched his teeth and spun his chair back around, setting back down. There was a moment of awkward silence that filled the room. He opened a drawer on the side of the desk and pulled out a long dark brown cigar and a pack of matches. Jinx sat back, rolling her eyes. He clipped the end of the cigar and ran the match across his desk, lighting it up and taking a long drag.

He blew the smoke right towards jinx who didn't even budge.

"As a matter of fact...I do..." The smoke swirled up into the small light fixture, also stinging jinxs eyes.

"If you would have let me finished before assuming, you would know that they might be on that ship."

Jinxs eyes widen. Her nostrils flared out, blowing the smoke away a bit.

"And what shall I be doing?"

"Find them - And if you do, not only will I help you invade their ship, but I'll even allow you to keep their ship."

This was to good. Jinx stood up from her seat with the biggest smirk ever.

"I'll find those Fairy Tail bastards and bring them to you ASAP Capitan Blackwater!"

He knocked the ashes off his cigar and took another puff.

"Don't think I'm doing it to be nice. I want you off my ship anyway..."

She nodded in response, still smirking.

"I understand captain. I won't fail you."

The Black Lotus's captain was a serious woman, but right now, looking at Lucy pose in the mirror brought a slight smirk to her lips. Nightshade raised her eyebrow at her.

"What do I think? I think it will fool him. The old man's got a one track mind. He fixates on one thing at a time and probably won't even notice you're aboard if you just join in and work, then at night, you and Leo can try and sort him out..."

She tilted her head to the side, with one hand on her hip.

"Don't you get weak from having Leo summoned all the time? " She pouted a little, and looked down at her own gate keys.

"He is the leader of the zodiacs... He uses the most magic to summon..." Nightshade lifted her gaze to the blonde.

"I summon myself, and use my own magic..." The lion said, strolling in casually with his hands in his pockets.

"For that very reason. I don't want Lucy to suffer because of me." He smiled over at her, before glancing down at her chest.

"Woah! Where did they go?!"

Lucy lowered her brows, shaking her head at her lion. "Of course my boobs being gone would be the first thing you noticed ..." she smirked.

Nightshade laughed and strolled over to the window, looking over at the land in the distance.

"It's good you're both here. I have a plan to sneak you on board and not put my crew at any risk. Last time we ran into them I lost half my men. Port towns are great because crew are often expected to jump ship..."

Her hand lowered to her side and pulled out three keys. "They won't even see you coming..."

The scarlet haired Captain had a dark grin on her face, as she gripped three silver gate keys with her fingers.

"What's the chances of us getting caught?" Lucy's eyes gazed back at Nightshade's through the mirror, tilting her head and having a dead serious expression.

"Or better yet...What's the chances of us getting caught and killed?" She glanced at her guild Mark for a moment before slipping on her gloves and turning back towards the two, adjusting the cuffs on her trench.

"Well?"

Nightshade turned back to her and lowered the keys. "Well... Aha... Don't let him know you're a girl from Fairy Tail and you'll be alright... Max will give you one of our magic flares so you can use it if in danger. As Leo is an old friend of mine I am happy to unleash _Hell_ if needed..." She giggled at her own sick joke as her other finger went to rest on her black staff.

"One word of warning though... Don't get on his bad side. He won't think twice about torturing you... I maybe a pirate but he truly is a monster... Just stay safe."

She shrugged and raised her keys again. "Anyway!" she added in a chirpy tone. "Time to show you _one_ of my secret weapons. "

She walked out on deck, to the end of the ship. She raised the three silver keys and narrowed her eyes.

"Open, Gate of the Ships. Carina, Vela and Puppus! My Black Lotus brothers!" With a bright flash, three men appeared on the deck. They all looked similar, Carina had black hair, Puppus had Brown hair and Vela had white hair. They turned to Nightshade and all grinned. Carina was the sign for Keel, Puppus was the Poopdeck and Vela was the sails.

"Good morning gentlemen, I am in need of your help today. Make a copy of the my ship, the Black Lotus and take these two to the port. We will go to the other side of the island to get supplies. "

They all saluted and dived into the water. There was a bright silver light and all of a sudden an exact copy of the ship burst out of the water beside them, but was white and almost ghostly. Her crew put a gangway plank between the two ships. Max handed Loke and Lucy a flare.

"This is one of my secret weapons. It's rare for a woman to be successful as a pirate, so I have a few tricks up my sleeve. The Black Lotus brothers will take you to Shore, jump ship and don't get killed. I want to have a drink with you when you're done, Lucy." she grinned.

Lucy was ecstatic now! "Woah! Those are your spirits?!" She gazed at the 3 spirits, examining them in a fast motion.

"They're so...interesting!" Of course being that Lucy wasn't their owner they ignored her and followed their owners instructions. She was too excited that she almost dove into the water with them, but with quick thinking, Loke pulled her back by her shirt, shaking his head.

"Yeeeeee!" The mage stumbled back and looked up at Loke with a pout, her arms folded over her 'flat' chest.

"You know I can swim right?!"

Loke shook his head to her with a grin. "You don't need to swim. They will take us to shore." He said, leading her onto the plank which lead to the copy of the ship. "These guys are pretty extraordinary actually. They can shapeshift into any ship. " He points down, "This is similar to this ship, but white and almost ethereal to look at. "They can cloak our arrival." He beamed with a cocky knowledgeable grin.

"Leo is correct. They will cloak your arrival. Don't act suspicious, pretend you're just a normal sailor looking to get extra cash off the books." Nightshade winked. "And remember, if you're really in trouble then I suppose we can help out. They have a claim on a large amount of treasure and I want it!" She started to laugh, and crossed her arms. She didn't mind a little revenge either.

DuBlanc, the goggle wearing spotter in the crows nest rolled his eyes. He scratched the back of his head, avoiding the tall mohawk he'd styled his hair into. "Captain, there is a 50% chance of them running into a storm on their journey." He could predict the future to a certain degree of accuracy. He leant on his rifle and looked down at the couple. "So best of luck."

Ruko, the boatswain, with an ginger streak running through his hair handed them both some water. He had a big scar down the side of his face. "Don't Worry, it's not sea water. I purified it for you. We can't use up our personal supplies on stowaways." He was in charge of keeping their cargo in tact, and sorting their food, drink and ammo, SO he liked to keep it blunt. Ruko was the resident water mage. He handed it to them, whipped his hands up and casted a mist around the two ships. "Good luck."

Finally, the tall dark haired first mate of the ship (now sobered up) gave them a cool nod. He had about four pistols on his belt and a large blade on his back. He was second in command and usually had a scowl on his face when being serious. Get to know him and he's lovely really. He had already given them the flares and stood next to Nightshade. "We won't be afraid to annihilate Siren's Blood if needed." He smirked. "Stay safe."

Loke nodded back and finally walked onto the ship. He glanced at Lucy. "Well... Time to go..."

Lucy took a deep breath and followed Loke onto the other ship, glancing around the ship in a trance. It was marvelous that these spirits could become something so grand.

"Wow..." Lucy parted her lips and tilted her head up, watching the sails flap around in the wind. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm rays of the sun and the gentle breeze.

On the nearest port, Jinx had stepped off the ship and was strolling around the dock. Her boots made a loud thumping sound whilst walking. She had her hands behind her back, flicking her eyes left and right to look out for any suspicious people.

"Tick tock Fairies...Your time is running out...I will find you...it's only a matter of time..."

Loke and Lucy had finally made it to dry land with the help of Nightshades spirits, and were just about to step off.

"I hope we don't have a storm like last night..." The mage strolled up to the peak of the ship with Loke following behind. But perhaps Lucy shouldn't have been so loud, because a certain weather woman overheard the blonde say that. Her lip twitched into a grin.

"Oii Blondie!" Jinx called up to Lucy and the mage peered down.

"Hmm?"

"You shouldn't jinx things like that...it's bad Luck!"

"I'll remember that!" Lucy laughed it off and turned back to her Lion.

"Shall we darling?" Lucy grinned, as loke helped her off the ship.

Jinx had her brow raised but quickly scurried back to Sirens blood, biting her lip.

'Funny how that Blondie back there appeared to be a man...yet have such a feminine voice... and.. Calling him darling? What port did i end up in anyway?'

She burst into her captain's office with an even wider smirk.

"Capitan! I do believe I found our people...But let's set sail...I need to see if they're going to follow us..."

"Psst, Lucy. Your voice is too high pitched. Can you speak in a lower tone or will I need to make a ridiculous story about you getting the old..." He a did scissor motion with his fingers, wiggling his eyebrows with a smirk. "Snip snip"

Lucy gave him a whack in the chest, nodding.

"We need to come up with a reason for joining their crew... Nightshade said we should go for something along the lines of getting money off the books, in other words piracy." Loke went over it in his head a few times.

Loke decided to make it like they were looking for work. "Got any spaces for a couple of deckhands?"

"No. Bugger off."

This continued for a while until they walked up to Siren's blood which had docked at the harbor. "Do you think a grand ship like this could use a couple of deck hands?" He asked a crew member who shrugged, and pointed to gangplank leading up to it.

"Captain doesn't know half his crew's name..." He grunted, suggesting they just shut up and get on. Loke looked at Lucy and lead the way.

"Got it!" Said spoke in a low manly voice. If Loke wasn't trying to be serious, he would have laughed.

As they boarded the ship. Lucy felt very uneasy. That bad feeling roared in stomach causing her to feel queasy. 'Urrgh...this should be fun...' she gulped down and looked around, being sure to stay very close to loke. The other men on the ship were already giving her intimidating looks. All she wanted to do was grab Loke's hand to let them know she was taken, but since she was a 'guy' now it might seem a bit suspicious or...Awkward.

Jinx had been following the two back onto the ship without neither noticing. Raising her brow in curiosity, she closed her eyes, beginning to concentrate on the storm brewing inside of her. The wind began to pick up.

"Perhaps this will answer my question..." Jinx muttered, but right before it blew Lucy's hat off, the blonde mage quickly reacted and took hold of it to make sure it didn't.

This annoyed jinx greatly.

"Tch..I'll figure this out soon..." she smiled widely and continued following them.

Loke and Lucy decided to keep their heads down and try not to talk to anyone. They got involved with some crew work. Lucy was handed a mop and bucket and asked to scrub the deck. Loke was given some heavy work of moving cannons around and storing cargo away with some other men.

The pair were separated for a while as the ship set sail on the ocean. The voyage was a harsh one, no one on this crew had a kind bone in their body and men were quickly given a lash of the whip on top deck for slacking.

People were talking about their new cabin boy, who was scrubbing the deck. Mutters and weird comments started to arise...

Lucy was very uncomfortable being around all of these savage like men. They way they stared at her made her paranoia rise to the extreme. Including when they whispered amongst each other whilst looking her way, but she kept her composure, trying to ignore them.

She dipped the mop into the bucket of dirty water and slapped it onto the ground, moving it side to side from the front of the ship to the back. She was almost halfway done when a group of 3 men walked up to her, surrounding her with their arms crossed.

"Oii, what's wrong with you mate?" The biggest one said. He seemed to be the leader.

Lucy plopped the mop back into the bucket and stared up the man confused before speaking in a boyish tone.

"What do you mean? I'm just cleaning."

He threw his head back and laughed, placing his hands on Lucy's shoulders and leaned forward examining her.

"You seem to know how to clean well for a...man..and your looks are a bit...feminine. Care to explain pretty boy?"

Lucy could feel her heart pounding, trying to think of what to say back.

"I'm still young you know? And it's not like I haven't done this before. So get your filthy hands off of me."

She gazed at him with a serious expression now, trying to seem intimidating.

"Excuse...me?" The man looked pissed off now.

"I know you didn't just disrespect me you mop rat!" He grabbed Lucy by the front of her shirt and went to shove her over the edge, knocking over the bucket and spilling water everywhere when...

"Wilson ! That's enough!" The dark crimson haired woman approached them with a blank expression.

"Put the boy down...now..."

"HA! And what are you going to do if I don't you bloody woman?"

Jinx smirked and cracked her neck, causing the other two men to step back out of her way.

"Bloody woman? Do I need to remind you of who I am? Or are you going to listen to me. This is your last warning." She was fierce, just like another female pirate Lucy knew.

"Baha! You think I'm scared of a short bitch like you? Others might, but all be damned if I'm going to let a bitch like yo-"

Jinx had enough of his shit talking and swiftly grabbed the hand Lucy was being hoisted up with, causing him to drop Lucy onto the desk whilst she twisted it around. You could hear his elbow crack causing him to let out a painful scream that sounded very girlish.

She slammed him down onto the deck on his back and jabbed her boot right into his face.

"Sounds like I'm more of a man than you by your sissy screams." Jinx twisted her boot into his face before spitting down at him, a dark aura rising from her head like steam.

"Now..are you going to leave this young lad alone or do I need to continue making you look like the bitch you are?"

Wilson shook his head furiously and held his elbow. It was bent in an awkward way.

"N-No ma'am.."

"Thought so...now get your filthy ass out of her before I change my mind."

Wilson jumped to his feet and scurried away with the others who were laughing at him.

Lucy stared in amazement at the woman standing before her. She was so small, yet so strong. Almost like Erza.

Jinx turned to her, holding her hand out.

"You alright lad?" Her eyebrow raised and a small fake ass smile formed on her face.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine...thanks...uhmm..."

"Jinx..call me jinx..."

"Oh well...thanks jinx."

"No problem.."

Lucy took her hand and pulled herself up, looking down at her soaked body. The bandages were unraveling. This could be bad.

"And what's your name?"

Lucy blinked a few times thinking to herself.

 _'Oh SHIT I didn't even think of a manly name!'_ She mentally face planned herself.

"U-Uh what?"

Jinx smirked.

"What's your name mate?"

"O-Oh my name is..uhh...Ted!"

Jinx pressed her lips together trying to contain a laugh.

"Tsss...Well get back to work Ted. No time to waste!"

And with that Jinx sped away slapping her hand over her mouth.

"Uhh...y-yes ma'am..."

And with that, Lucy began cleaning away, wondering to herself.

"Why did that woman help me?"

She shrugged it off and continued her Job.

But jinx herself was confused as to why she was so nice to...'Ted' who was obviously a female. There was no Adam's Apple...But maybe, perhaps it was she hadn't been around women in so long...it felt...nice? No..no..

"I must keep him...err her..alive until further notice..." she sighed and walked her way down to Black waters quarters to update him...

Loke's heart jumped into his throat when he saw the men surround her from the other side of the ship. He kept a close eye as Jinx helped Lucy. He was finding it hard to keep it together. Every Time someone spoke to her, he wants to punch them in the face. That was when the rain picked up.

There was an even worse storm on the way...


	33. Chapter 33: Cyclone

**Chapter 33 - Cyclone**

More time passed, and the evening brought heavy rain and blustering winds to the ocean. This made Lucy's work useless as the rain poured over the deck, causing more mess to fill the deck.

Another from the group earlier were now on the deck with Loke, talking to the other male deckhands.

"I bet that new Cabin _'boy'_ would bend over for a pretty penny..." He sniggered through his teeth, or lack of teeth to be more specific. The other quickly smirked, "I bet he'd do it for free... "

"That Jinx bitch, won't hear him cry if we cover his dirty little mouth" They plotted together.

Loke dropped the cannon ball he was loading, and glared at them with gritted teeth, causing them both to look up. He needed to sort that temper out. Lately he felt like he couldn't keep his cool when it came to Lucy. He didn't want to lose her again, or see her be kidnapped. He would do it all in her place if it meant Lucy wouldn't come to harm.

"What the Hell do you want, newbie?" The left male snarled. "He's been snooping in on our conv-"

As he spoke, Loke's fist lit up with gold and knocked him across the deck, and into the second male. He went to slam them again, when a huge male, with large brimmed hat snapped his grasp around his wrist tightly. Loke's chest was heaving with annoyance. He looked up at the male who had a hold of him. He quickly slapped a pair of magic numbing cuffs around his hands. The lion then realised who it was... "...C-Captain B-Blackwater..?" He muttered. His light died down to nothing. Blackwaters chains dropped heavily down to the deck, causing a loud clunk.

"What makes a man like you fight for a cabin boy?" His deep, harsh voice boomed. The rest of the crew gathered around, getting soaked by the rain. They were quiet, and had dark smirks on cut into their faces.

Lucy overheard the ruckus coming from where Loke was. It was hard to see from the rain but as soon as she saw the light of his golden magic, she immediately knew Loke was in trouble. As she ran over, peering over at the men, she saw a large bearded man holding Loke down. The raised his boot to go kick Loke but...

.

"LOKE NO!" Lucy let out a girlish shriek and slapped her hand over her mouth realizing what she did and quickly backed away from the crowd.

Jinx, walked through the crowd who had turned to Lucy, with her eyes closed, the sounds of her footsteps coming closer as the rain died down.

"Well well well...'Ted'..seems like you and your...friend here aren't very good at sneaking around huh?"

She locked eyes with Lucy, smirking devilishly and raised her hand, smacking Lucy right across the face and onto the ground.

"TELL ME WHY YOU'RE HERE!?"

Jinx reached down and snatched Lucy up by her shirt and slammed her against the side of the ship,having half her body bent over the edge.

"Or better yet...why don't we show my captain your little secret?" Her grin became even wider as she jerking Lucy back over and pulled her through the crowd.

"On your knees!"

Lucy was terrified..but obeyed jinx and dropped down, with her head hung low before raising her eyes up to Loke, just as jinx grabbed onto her bandana and ripped it right off. Lucy's beautiful damp blonde hair fell past her shoulders. This made Blackwater cringe.

"Another female...on my...ship...?"

This definitely wasn't going to be good. His chest almost growled in anger.

Loke tried to tug away from the captains grip as Lucy was struck down. Through gritted teeth he cried out, "Ngh, leave her alone!" He struggled, feeling guilty and powerless. He shouldn't have acted so brashly.

The Captain looked down at him, then back up to her. "Urgh disgusting. Looks like it's love, gentlemen..."

The men all laughed in unison at his joke.

"You already require punishment for attacking your fellow crew members... But considering the circumstances... It will be administered by me.." Blackwater had a serious, cruel look on his face as a rolled a whip with chain tails down from his coat. His heavy footsteps crashed into the deck as he stormed over to Lucy.

"It will be by your hand..." His men quickly grabbed Loke and pinned him up against the mast. Loke struggled to look back at her with horror in his eyes.

"J-just get it over with..." He couldn't see Lucy hurt for his mistake. The cuffs restricted his magic just like Lilith had done previously... But this time he could feel, he wasn't numb, he almost felt human. He was grounded.

"You will give him 10 lashes. Otherwise we slit his throat right here and now..." The beaded monster howled with a sinister tone. "Prepare him."

Two men by Loke's side threw his coat to the ground. The lion narrowed his eyes and glanced back to the wood, "Shit... I'm sorry, Lucy..." He muttered, knowing this could be game over completely when they removed his shirt.

The men then grabbed his shirt and pulled it from his back, tearing it off. A moment of silence fell across the deck. Only the sound of the heavy missiles of rain shattered onto the wood, and over his skin. There plain as day was the green fairy tail emblem tattooed across his spine. His cover had been blown, and this was going to hurt.

Lucy's eyes widen. "By...my hand?" Her heart sank to her feet from those words. How could she harm the man she loved? There was no way Lucy could, but there was also no other way. His life was on the line. Either she whipped him, or she'd have to watch this monsters slit his throat right in front of her...and who knows what they would do to her after they killed him.

There was a dark sea of emotions swimming throughout Lucy's veins as Blackwater shoved the whip into her hands and pushed her behind her lion.

Jinx had stayed by Lucy's side and leaned over, whispering into her ear with a low almost demonic like tone.

"You should have stayed at home Blondie...heh..."

Lucy's grip on the whip became tighter thinking about what it would have been like if they had stayed home. They wouldn't be in damn situation right now! But now..she had to get it over with.

"HURRY UP BLONDE BITCH! I WANNA HEAR HIM SCREAM!" Jinx screamed in her face with a wide wicked grin. Apparently this amused her...

"I want to see you put effort into these swings, otherwise you'll be next." Blackwater grinned broadly, revealing a row of golden and blackened teeth.

"I'm sorry Loke...Please forgive me..." Lucy closed her eyes tightly, hands trembling as he held the heavy whip in her hands. Tears brimmed and broke free, then cascaded down her face.

Blackwater stomped his foot on the deck, causing Lucy to flinch. "O-Okay.." She mumbled.

Lucy raised the whip in her hand, using all her force to send it down across Lokes back. The blades at the ends stuck into his skin, causing him to let out a small cry, but as soon as Lucy pulled back, ripping his skin, Loke cried out in a tremendous amount of pain, but this wasn't the cry of a lion. This was like a human. It hurt him more than in his spirit from...and..his blood was red just as a human. What was going on? Lucy was shaking.

Lucy could feel the hot tears rolling down her face from his cries as she brought the whip down again, smacking him right on his shoulder blade and pulled up.

"HARDER BLONDIE! HARDER! MAKE HIM SCREAM AND BEG FOR MERCY!" Jinx screamed even louder than before, taunting poor Lucy. Her voice echoing out at sea along with Loke's blood curdling cry.

Loke shut his eyes tightly, trying his very best to endure the situation, but with every swing, his legs gave way further and further until he was finally on his knees. He arched his head down, and opened his eyes slightly as Lucy went back for another forced swing. He winced, noticing the rain on deck was red? 'R-red blood?' His eyes looked up at the cuffs on his wrists.

Crack.

He gritted his teeth, but spluttered out, coughing in pain. He pushed his head into to the wood of the mast, roaring out. This was the most pain he'd ever been in. His fists also punched into the wood. Everything was stinging. It didn't help that the waves crashed overboard, hitting his gaping wounds with salt water.

10\. Crack!

The lion's chest was heaving, his back was exposed and the fairy tail emblem was almost torn from his flesh. Thick scars ripped down his back, and blood streamed out of the gashes. He couldn't speak, he was surprised he managed to stay conscious.

"Heh. Take them to the brig." Blackwater said with an amused grin across his face. His men obeyed and snatched the whip from Lucy's hands, took away her sword and yanked her to the brig. Another, peeled the lion from the deck, and dragged him down there, and tossed him to the floor at Lucy's feet. He shut the door, locked it and left, laughing.

"You're Lucky to be alive, blondie... Bad luck to have women aboard..." He said as he left them in the brig, alone.

The wind howled outside, and the storm was still raging. Lighting flashed through the sky and rumbled across the clouds.

"L-Loke..." Lucy's voiced cracked as the man walked away. Immediately she scooped him up into her shaking arms, lovingly pushing his hair out of his face. He looked awful. Pale and weak...Lucy couldn't bare to see him like this. It broke her heart into a million pieces.

"Oh god Loke...I'm so sorry, I'm so so so sorry..."

She bent over him, pressing her face into his wet chest.

His body was cold...minus the warm blood that seeped from his back. Needless to say, Loke looked dead in her arms.

"Please be okay...I'll do anything...please.."

The lion narrowly opened his eyes, his fragile hands lifted to her thigh, as he couldn't lift it any further. He looked up at the blonde who was cradling him.

"L-Lucy..." he managed to crack a small smile. "You did what you had to... You saved me from being killed..." his voice was weak but soft. "You know I'd go through hell and back for you, right?" he managed to keep the weak smile on his face. The seawater from the deck floor he had been slung down too stung his wounds like crazy.

The lions tender brush on her thigh slowly moved down her leg, lovingly. "I just ... acted on impulse, it's my fault this happened anyway..."

Lucy lifted her head, wiping away her tears with her thumb and gazed down at him with a pitiful look.

"I know you would Loke...but I never imagined I'd have to put you through so much pain..." she placed her still shaking hand over his cheek, rubbing her thumb across it ever so gently.

"Promise me something Loke..."

Her tears came back, rolling off her cheek and onto Leo's bare chest.

"Promise me that if we make it through this, that once we get back...We can start planning our wedding..."

The knot in Lucy's throat made it hard to push out the other thing she was trying to say. She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply, trying to contain her emotions.

"Promise me that we can start a fam-..."

Before Lucy could finish...Her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion outside...

"Wh-What the..?"

Loke rested his forehead against Lucy's. He gulped down, but continued to give her a smile, a pained smile but a smile none the less. "This pain is nothing compared to the thought of losing you, Lucy. Of course we can..."

The small rubies of blood shattered against the ground. He needed to get those cuffs off of him. He heard the voices of men outside, saying they spotted something in the distance.

"Captain, the spotter says he spotted a white ship on the starboard side."

"A white ship?"

"Aye sir... They say there is only one crew member..."

"One? Any colours? Is there a name on the ship?"

"We're checking sir..."

"Check faster, or I will pull your fingernails off."

"A-aye sir..."

The spotter then yelled down. "No colours sir... Occupant is a .. Is a woman? Uh maybe... greenish kind of grey hair... Something not quite right, what should we do? Avoid it?"

Blackwater walked up to his helm and pulled out a telescope himself. "Jinx. Do we know of any white ships? Or green haired captains?"

Loke looked at Lucy as they were in the brig. "A white ship? Could it be ..." He managed to stumble out of Lucy's grasp and rolled over to the wall. He pressed his face against it, peering out a crack to see the ocean waves crash up around the ship. He grumbled and raised the cuffs up and hit them against the wall, causing the crack to get bigger. "Lucy... In my back pocket... There is the flare max gave me.. Fire it out... If that's the White lotus then the black one maybe out there too..." He said frantically.

Swiftly, Lucy dug into lokes back pocket and pulled out the flare gun. Thank goodness it was small enough to fit through the bars at the top of the wall...But how would she get there?

"Aha!"

Lucy pulled out her whip and stood back a few feet, biting on her lip to concentrate.

SNAP! Lucy cracked her whip yo try and wrap it around one if the bars. Loke winced instinctively at the nose. Lucy looked back at him apologetically.

"Damn...so close.. "

Finally after a few tries, Lucy managed to grab onto one of the bars and pressed her foot against the wall, climbing up.

She was just relieved it wasn't to far up.

Quickly, Lucy latched onto one of the bars and pulled the flare back out, sticking it through the bars.

"Alright, one...two...three...BOOM!"

Lucy pulled the trigger sending a bright red fiery ball into the sky.

"Haha Loke I did i- AUUUHHHHHHH!"

The whip wasn't strong enough to hold Lucy's weight causing it to slip back around the bar and sending Lucy back onto the ground, flat on her ass right in front of Loke. She flopped over and began to rub it, and boy did it sting...

"owowowowo! Ssss...That's definitely going to leave a mark..." she pouted looking over at Loke who seemed to have cracked a smile at her rubbing her own butt.

"You okay?" He asked, looking down at her. He would of helped if his hands were not bound and he wasn't making such a mess on the floor.

"Just stay behind me no matter what happens okay? They would have seen that for sure..." He turned his body to the bars and sat down like nothing happened. He looked at the floor, and flopped onto it, acting as if he was in the same state the crew members left him in. This time he was all ears. The seawater washed over his wounds causing him to wince slightly.

"What the hell was that!?" Noise erupted from upstairs but then the spotters voice returned. "Captain! The white ship... It just.. Vanished into thin air."

"What!? That's not possible. What about the woman?"

"She fell into the ocean... Do we find her?"

Blackwater stares out at the dark ocean where the ship was. He growled under his breath. "I do not need anymore bloody women aboard my ship. The extra one is bad enough luck."

"Yep...Just dandy.." Lucy said with a sarcastic tone before shaking away the feeling and regaining her composure.

'Alright Lucy...focus...' she turned towards loke and gave him a questionable look.

"Says the one who can't even move. How about for the time being you stay behind me." The mage scooted over towards him as he flopped onto the floor and placed a quick kiss in his cheek before scrambling to her knees.

The blood that spilled from Leo was smeared everywhere, even soaking into Lucy's legs and clothing. She pulled off her jacket and with all her might began ripping it to shreds of different lengths. The bandages that once held down her garage breast had unraveled, leaving them hanging loosely in her top. Quickly, she pulled the wrap out from under her shirt and grabbed Loke's shoulder.

"Just hold on for a moment. This isn't much but it should help the bleeding."

The blonde took a large cloth that was ripped from her jacket and maneuvered it to fit over Loke's back.

"Alright now..the wrap.."

Lucy swiftly hoisted Loke up a bit and wrapped the binding around him as quick as she could.

For being her first time doing anything like this, it was pretty on point. The sounds of yelling and footsteps broke her concentration and made her glance back, but immediately went back to fixing up her lover. Finally, Lucy used her teeth and ripping off the remaining piece and tied it off, carefully setting him back down and sliding away, yet still in front of him to keep him out of harm's way. Lucy would do anything for him...Or any of her friends and spirits. It's just how she was...

Loke couldn't do much in terms of arguing in his situation. He rested his shoulder on hers, and simply smiled warmly as she tended to his wounds. _'So this is what it's like to feel human?'_ Lucy was so warm, it comforted him enough for the lion to close his eyes. The cuffs sat tightly around his wrists, cutting into his skin every time he tried to fight them. He'd given up with them for now. "Thank you, Lucy..." He felt a little better after being bandaged by her. He slumped back down behind her and looked out. "Now we wait..."

Before long the storm had turned for the worse and waves smashed into the ship and rocked it around violently. The wind howled and icy rain rocketed into the deck. It was unnatural that's for sure. Water began to puddle heavily in the brig and formed in front of their cell.

"Keep the powder dry!" Blackwaters first mate yelled. "Captain, your orders sir!"

Meanwhile, there was a thick fog rolling through the sky. Well, it seemed like fog at first, but on closer inspection... It was smoke, really black smoke. It smelt like.. burning?

"Captain!?" He repeated, not getting an answer.

Blackwater was fixated on something. He could hear singing. A woman was singing. He looked at Jinx to check it wasn't her and it didn't sound like the blonde girl. It caused him to growl angrily. The voice was clear as day, angelic and taunting him with a song about sirens. It echo'd around them, hauntingly.

"Captain! We have a problem! The White ship reappeared out of the water next to a black ship... It's the Lotus, sir!" He yelled nervously.

"Both ships have lights on... But I don't see any crew..."

Blackwater balled his fists. "Go over there and tear It apart!"

The singing got louder and almost sounded like it almost choked up laughing. This irritated him heavily. The ice cold rain had a warm heat wash over it in places.

"It's bad luck to have a lady on board~" the voice chanted in song.

In the brig, Ruko appeared from the water that had gathered there. He pressed his finger to his lips to hush them both and opened the door to the cell. He threw back their weapons and coats, and looked at the door, holding them back. "We strike when the captain gives the signal..." He said quietly.

Jinx was honestly having too much fun with this. A storm was nothing to her. Whilst the men scrambled around trying to keep the powder dry, she strolled along the deck with her hands behind her back, humming as if nothing was wrong. That is until she heard the words "Black Lotus." Jinx whipped around and marched back towards Blackwater,slamming her hands on the edge of the ship and peered out to the sea.

"The nerve of that bitch..." she grit her teeth causing the storm to lash out, allowing a big rogue wave to start forming half a mile away.

"Nightshade...You really are reckless.." she stormed past Blackwater who caught her arm and jerked her back.

"Stop this at once you foul woman! You're going to wreck my ship with your storm, you bloody woman!"

Jinx jerked away from him snarling and backed away.

"I'll have you know this isn't all me. I can't help when mother nature herself actually wants to bring forth a storm! So quit pestering me over small shit when we have bigger things to worry about you old bastard!"

Blackwater was stunned by her actions and clenched his teeth, wanting to knock her out, but even if he hated to admit it she was right.

"Captain ! It's impossible to do anything with the waves this big!"

He groaned and looked towards jinx.

"Well at least try and control the goddamn waves! I'm not about to lose my ship!"

Jinx snarled but nodded and closed her eyes and extended her arms, inhaling sharply.

"Mmmm..." as soon as her eyes opened back up, the waves began to calm slightly, but only enough to allow the battle to begin...


	34. Chapter 34: Fire in the Rain

**Chapter 34 - Fire in the rain**

The Black Lotus had heard a few cries in the wind, and spotted the magic flare light up in the storm. They could not sit back idly by anymore. This was their chance for revenge. Blackwater was still being taunted by a haunting siren like song, by what appeared to be a smokey haze.

Ruko had just appeared in the brig and busted Loke and Lucy out and Jinx was going mad, trying to tame the storm to her will. All Hell was about to break loose on Siren's Blood…

"Eeee!" Lucy was startled by the man whom appeared in front of their cell. It was almost creepy but soon she recognised him and was so glad he came to help. Immediately Lucy helped Leo to his feet. They exchanged glances and then looked back at the man.

"Ruko, was it?" Lucy pulled her self and Loke towards him and out the cell.

"Aye. Ruko." The Block Lotus's Boatswaine and resident water mage whispered back. "We are here to help you achieve your goal.. Captain felt sympathetic all of a sudden." He looked at Loke, and saw what a mess he was in. That was a lot of blood. He took his other side and helped him out.

"Then Max saw the signal. We need to get you off the ship before it goes down..." He smirked.

Thunder and lighting consumed the sky, lighting up a huge shadow for a second, until it sank back into the black obsidian sky.

"What was that?" Blackwaters crew asked nervously. Their cowardliness was pissing Blackwater off even more. He raised his pistol and shot him right in the head to silence him. "Will you hold your wits about you. I want that ship in line with our cannons!" He commanded, causing crew to scatter to their stations.

"The cannon balls are missing... S-sir"

 _Bang!_

He shot him too. "Who do I have to load into the cannon next!? I want that ship destroyed!" He dropped chains down from his sleeves and whipped across his crew, making them panic and load anything they can find into their cannons.

The singing voice paused and laughed a bit more, before finally singing louder for the final chorus. It was a local song about how the sirens slaughtered his crew making him afraid of women. It was becoming quite the local hit in bars in Hargeon.

"Aim!" He had enough.

The singing then stopped, and changed to a clear voice.

"Hydra, fire." The screeching roar from above sent a blast down from the clouds and struck the deck with a huge ice ball. The wood on the deck shattered.

"That's the signal. Let's get out of here." Ruko said to the pair of lovers, leading them out. Loke held onto lucy, trying his best not to hold her back. The cuffs remained on him though. He couldn't remove them!

"It's Bad luck to have women on board, Blackwater~." Lightning flashed to a figure, standing on the mast. She had long red hair, a large hat, gorgeous boots and a smirk on her face. She held her staff in front of her, aiming it down at him. As the lightning flashed again, the White lotus appeared right next to them with a few of her crew on board. Max, DuBlanc and a few deck hands who knew magic or were decent at swinging a sword. It was the port side, away from the cannons.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve. So surrender your gold and lives to me.. Or we destroy you once and for all." She smiled brightly, the lighting revealing a glint in her piercing blue eyes.

Blackwater growled at her, "Nightshade! What makes you think a woman like you could beat me and my crew. We're the most feared pirates on the ocean! You should surrender your men to me now, so you don't end up like last time..."

The woman smirked even more. "I have the stars on my side."

Lucy clung to her Lion as Ruko lead them out, looking back at Loke every now and then to check on him. He didn't seem to be doing so well at all.

"Common Loke! Move your ass! " Lucy demanded with a stern voice, pulling him up to the drenched deck above. Ruko dodged the crew members with the two lovers behind him. Lucy tried to keep going but it was so hard to see. The rain just kept getting heavier.

Meanwhile, Jinx was full of rage. The woman she hated most stood not only but 20 feet away from her. This could be the perfect time to end her, but maybe she'd wait, just for a little bit longer.

Nightshade's spirit Hydra swooped down from the clouds and circled the ship above her. The three headed spirit was huge, and had sharp spines down its back and tail.

Nightshade was a cursed woman, and so was her crew. A long time ago they stole treasure which should have remained locked away. Nightshade's treasure was her black staff. It was made of what looked like ebony, and had a black serpent coiled around it, with its head sitting under her hand, glaring out at the enemy crew below with his emerald eyes. This staff granted Nightshade use of hell fire, a magic which could break her body down to ash then re build her, and shoot fire so hot it would melt your soul. A pirates greed made you crave all forms of treasure… Gold, Knowledge, power and even magic. Nightshade was fond of hunting for keys, but when she could easily take something this valuable, her pirate senses told her to reach out and grab it.

The scarlet haired woman gripped her staff tightly, and grinned. "Hell fire: Ash!" She simply said before her body broke down into ash and formed Into a the skull shape that she proudly bore on her ship's flag. She leapt down onto their deck, swooping through the crew and singed his soaking top deck, scorching the helm.

Her crew leapt off the White lotus, swords and weapons drawn to join her in battle. All off a sudden the clash of blades and the echo of gun shots was under way. Her spirit slammed down onto the wood and snapped at the crew, joining the fight.

Loke tried to keep up, managing to avoid being struck with a blade. That's when he thought of something and looked at Lucy.

"Hey, these are magic cuffs... Maybe we can cut them with a magic blade... I-I may need Cancer or Taurus's to help." He frowned at her, feeling rather helpless like this.

"I know exactly what to do!" Lucy looked back at him with a smirk and immediately took both her Taurus and Cancer key from her ring and held them both up side by side.

"I hope this works..."

The mage stopped dead in her tracks and took in a deep breath.

"OPEN! GATES OF THE BULL AND THE CRAB! TAURUS! CANCER!"

A bright light filled with golden sparkles appeared right in front of her, catching most of the crews attention. There stood both Taurus and Cancer with a baffled expression.

"Hooooow did yooooou do that miss luuuuuuuucy?!" Taurus looked down at her.

"Yeah baby. Explain?" Cancer responded.

"No time to explain! I need the both of you to get these damn magic cuffs off Leo at once! Understand?"

The two looked at each other and nodded with a smirk.

"As you wish Baby!"

They took a hold of Leo as Lucy shot straight ahead protecting them. Luckily she had Ruko by her side.

"I said we need to get out of here blondie! Are you trying to get killed?!" Ruko yelled in frustration.

Lucy pulled her whip from her side and cracked it, wrapping the tail around one of the crew members necks and flung him against the pole of the crows nest.

"Nope! Just doing what had to be done. Now you can help me or leave!"

Meanwhile. Cancer was behind Leo trying to cut the cuffs off with his sharp scissors!

"It's not working!"

Taurus swung his giant axe and knocked down some of the men coming towards them.

"We need something bigger!"

The raging bull swapped places with Cancer and bent down towards Leo, examining the magical cuffs.

"Leo, do you trust mmmmee?" Taurus asked.

Leo looked up at the bull, his eyes met his. "Taurus, that is a stupid question. Of course I trust you. Now just do it. " he commanded, giving him a stern look as he then lowered his gaze back to the cuffs. "Give it all you have, Taurus."

Cancer swiped at a few crew members who saw they had escaped, cutting their hair off and leaving them very confused.

Ruko looked over to his captain. "She's either a genius or a fool for using so much magic... I hope she knows what she is doing." He said with a concerned voice, raising his fists up ready to fight.

Jinx had never been so twitchy. Just one look at Nightshade made her blood boil, but as soon as she turned to ash, Jinx became somewhat frightened by this.

"The Hell?!" She backed up far away.

This was definitely going to get a lot more interesting.

The ash spiralled up on deck, causing steam to rise through the cold rain. The steam was cloaking Blackwaters ship, giving her first mate Max and her spotter DuBlanc a chance to get into good locations to snipe using their gun magic. The pair were known on the ocean as the birds of prey by some. Daniel DuBlanc was a master sniper, also know as the Eagle. Max was a master gunslinger, known as Hawk who had also swiped some cursed magic which allowed him to teleport. Each had magic allowing their aim to be impeccable.

Blackwater had enough of these games and growled deeply. Two large black chains dropped out of his sleeves, digging into the wooden deck as they struck it. Magic hooks appeared at the bottom. These chains had little jagged edges and spikes along them, and they would hurt like Hell

He snapped them down through the ash, which responded with coiling upwards into a serpent like shape, shooting black fire back at Blackwater, who only narrowly avoided it.

His men drew their weapons and began to strike her crew, who fought back. There was an almighty clash as the fight got under way on the top deck.

"You shouldn't play with fire, you'll only get burned..." Nightshade laughed, cheerfully.

Taurus snarled, clenching his teeth as he gripped onto his axe tightly. He only had one shot and it could end badly if he didn't swing just right.

The bull could feel his body tense up as he raised his large axe above his head. Loke had extended his arms out giving Taurus just enough leverage to cut right through.

He gulped down snarling once more as a flash of lightening lit up the sky, when he swung the axe down. A large crack of thunder echoed from all around just as he split the cuffs right in half perfectly. They slowly began to vanish and crumble.

Lucy whipped her head over just in time to see what had happened. A smiled formed on her face watching her lion rise to his feet and golden light began to form around him as the magic link returned.

"Good Job you two! Y-You may...return..." Lucy felt slightly dizzy from having summoned two spirits. They each saluted her.

"You know we're always here baby!" Cancer snapped his scissors and vanished quickly.

"Any time miss Luuuucccy!" Taurus smiled down at Loke before also vanishing.

Ruko noticed the mage stumble backwards and caught her just in time.

"Used up all your magic already did yah?" He shook his head, looking down at her.

"N-No...I'm..fine..." Lucy sucked in a sharp breath and pushed herself back onto her feet, cracking her whip as she stood with a lioness pride.

"I WON'T GIVE UP! NOT EVER!" The water mage became wide eyed as she lunged forward, bringing her foot up and rammed her boot right in one of the crew members jaws, sending him almost flying overboard.

Lucy was definitely stronger than she looked.

Meanwhile, Jinx had made her way to the peak of the ship. With her great balance she hopped atop the ledge and closed her eyes beginning to concentrate. The waves began to shift making each boat rock to the left then back to the right knocking a good bit of Blackwater's crew off the ship. That's when things began to go downhill… Literally. In the middle of all the ships, the water began to spin around slowly. This would take some time to stir up...But it wouldn't end well for anyone. All she cared about was getting rid of Nightshade. Even if she had to destroy herself and everyone else along the way.

With the cuffs now gone, Loke's senses returned to him. His energy, his magic. He no longer felt human.

The blood which fell from him turned gold again. He was able to return to the spirit world. "Thanks buddy..." He managed to stagger back to his feet feeling dizzy himself.

"Now, let's bring that bastard down.. They want him alive so we need to stop Nightshade and her crew from killing him... We should get him to the other ship... "

He cracked his knuckles and sparkled back into his suit. He'd had enough of the blood stained sailors gear he had on. He meant business now. He adjusted his tie and rings and looked back at Lucy.

"I still want to kick his ass for what he did to me... " He looked down at her whip. "Perhaps a taste of his own medicine.." He shrugged.

Loke wasn't usually one to act cruelly but his back still burnt and stung. How dare he make Lucy do such a thing.

The lion staggered as the ship began to sway. Nightshade's gaze turned back to Loke, Lucy and Ruko who were now on deck, then down to Jinx.

'Is she doing this?' She thought. "Ruko! Counter waves. Don't let anyone else control your water." She winked down at him as her body had formed back to normal.

She slammed her staff down, booted the end cap off to reveal a long black blade and gripped the top. "Now then...Hydra! Dual Strike!" She raised her staff up, sending fire out of a magic circle. Hydra swooped across to also shoot fire towards the enemy crew. She was ignoring Jinx.

Daniel DuBlanc managed to snipe a few from the top, and Max was having a whale of a time firing shots and avoiding blasts of enemy fire.

Blackwater roared in anger and commanded his crew to attack with everything they had, threatening to kill them should they have mercy on Nightshades crew. "TEAR THEM APART" He said, grabbing one of Nightshades deckhands with his chains and crushed him in its huge claws.

'CRACK'

Jinx had the feeling as if someone was going to try and stop her, but luckily with her skills, she turned on her heels without stopping her concentration and began stirring up another storm. With the waves still circling round, she popped her eyes open just as Ruko came up on her and sent him flying back from a huge gust of wind.

"Don't...interrupt me you damn heathen !" Jinx grit her teeth and continued to send harsh winds towards Ruko and the others on the ship.

Lucy rubbed her head trying to shake off the dizzy feeling once more. Something wasn't right...By now the dizziness should have gone away, but perhaps all the boat rocking was kinda getting to her.

"N-Now I know how Natsu feels..." the mage exhaled sharply and brought her leg up into the air. The crew member she was fighting actually caught it to her surprise. And of course with Lucy wearing a skirt the pervy bastard looked down with a smirk.

"Nice undergarments. Might just have to keep you for later. Kekekeke..." he grinned widely,but a certain ginger noticed. And he wasn't to happy about that...

As the male stared down at her panties, he failed to miss the blast of Regulus heading right for his face.

"Quit staring at her! That's my job!" Loke growled, slamming him up into Jinx by luck.

Loke looked down at Lucy, subtly gripping onto his own side, placing his hand over his wounds. "This is going to be harder than I thought..." He frowned.

They needed to get Blackwater onto the other ship alive, and capture him. But he had no idea how he could do that. He needed to return to heal too as he was run down to his reserves.

"Lucy... What if i returned with Blackwater, kept him there for so long he started to get sick... " He smiled weakly at her. "It shouldn't take long as he has no affinity to the stars... We can take good care of him there... heh.." The blood loss was giving him some weird thoughts.

Ruko raised a water shield, staggering further and further back. "How dare you!" He grumbled. He didn't like anyone messing with his water.

"I might catch something off your dirty water." He froze shards and fired them back at her.

Blackwater was involved in a sword fight with Nightshade on the top deck. The scarlet captain managed to keep her footing on the swaying ship and narrowly avoid his blade. "Hydra, close!" She commanded, and the sea dragon vanished into silverlight. _'That leaves one left...'_ She thought, gritting her teeth and swinging her blade at the huge man, only to have it blocked by his own.

As the man flew into Jinx she nearly lost her balance, but with a solid push of no regret, the man unlatched from her and fell right down into the sea. His terrified screams echoing through the stormy night.

"Good riddance..." she smirked and hopped back on deck. Her plan had been interrupted once again and now she was angry.

Right then, she noticed the ice shards coming right at her from Ruko. Luckily she had enough time to dodge by bringing her leg up and knocking away. A few more came her way but again, she leapt to the side dodging them.

"My dirty water, eh?" Jinx grinned evilly and noticed the blonde girl fighting along side a guy in a suit?!

"Well that's not something you see on a ship everyday..." she sniggered as she sent another heavy gust of wind towards Ruko, knocking him down. Her eye was now on Lucy.

Lucy was being overwhelmed, and breathed heavily. The crew members never seemed to end.

"Loke! I get...What he did was wrong...What they all did.."

She cracked her whip across 3 guys, making them howl in pain.

The blonde stumbled backwards, bumping into her lion.

"But you have to remember...that's NOT HOW FAIRY TAIL MEMBERS ARE! DON'T STOOP TO HIS LEVEL! Ack...ooooft..." Lucy's body tensed up in pain as she dropped to her knees.

A few golf ball sized hail had hit her in the head. The pissed off weather woman came stomping Lucy's way. Unfortunately for Leo there were too many crew members he had to deal with to notice Lucy being jerked up by her hair.

"I'll be taking your little girlfriend now.." and that's when he noticed...

Blackwater slammed his sword against Nightshades. His eyes showing no mercy whatsoever. They were crazy and terrifying.

"You will not win this battle!" He grit his teeth and brought his sword back, swinging it forward only to clash with hers once again.

"You stupid...woman..."

"As I said once before, whether I win or lose, you and your ship will be the one at the bottom of the ocean..." Captain Nightshade laughed cruelly, and clashed blades with him.

"Hell's blade!" She superheated her blade, black Hell fire spiralled down it, causing white hot sparks to fly off, singeing his beard , coat and ship. He was trying to avoid them.

"AND WE'LL BE TAKING YOUR GOLD! Ahahaha!" She was rather enjoying this.

Loke had to agree with Lucy. He shouldn't stoop to his level. Even if he hurt, he didn't want to tarnish Fairy Tail's name with his own selfishness.

"Arghhh! Regulus Gatling Impact!" He exploded with golden light, sending several crew members into the air and overboard, as he slammed a flurry of punches at them. By the time he had dealt with them, Lucy was gone.

He looked around for her, when Jinx finally spoke up. "... YOU LET HER GO!" He blasted more light out from him, pushing the men who were now coming for him away from him. His body was glowing brightly. It was lions brilliance. The crew members squinted, as his light consumed the ship. Even Nightshade and her crew had to look away, Blackwater covered his eyes. "What in the blazes is that!?" He roared.

"Argh... That's lion's brilliance..." Nightshade replied. "Your little wench pissed him off.." She broke down into ash to stop herself being blinded and scattered before Blackwater could notice.

Leo slammed up into the air, blinding Lucy and Jinx and tackled them both down into Blackwater. "I LIKE YOUR THINKING LUCY, BUT A PIRATE WON'T PLAY FAIR... So neither will we... " He held tightly onto Lucy, pressing her into his chest, and tossed Jinx down to the deck below where Nightshade's Ash cloud was floating. He grabbed a hold of Blackwaters coat quickly and then... The light faded, and so did the trio... Weightlessness returned. The spirit world was in sight.

Lucy just wanted this to be over. Everything was so different as a pirate. She definitely had more respect for Nightshade and everyone else...But what got to her the most was that girl.

Earlier she had no issue with helping her. Jinx seemed so friendly...Yet was such a different person when she screamed at Lucy to hit Loke harder and different now. Lucy couldn't help but feel sympathy for the girl. It had to be manipulation.

Lucy clung to her Lion tightly, shoving her face into his hair as the rain pierced her visible skin. It hurt. Almost like a thousand needles. "..." Then, it was gone. She opened her eyes.

Jinx felt the breath knocked out of her. As she landed she held her hand over her chest and gazed up with wide eyes. Everything was so confusing.

Finally, she managed to sit up a bit and looked around. There was something swimming across the deck.

"The Hell?" Immediately she leapt to her feet and furrowed her brows, pulling out her sword as her eyes followed the thing. Ash?

"Hell indeed..." Cackled the voice from within the heat of the ash cloud. Blackened sparkes blasted out and coiled up around Jinx, small flaming serpents chained her down. The woman took form above the pirate. "Once my friends are safely on my ship... That is when the real fun begins..."

Her piercing blue eyes locked onto Jinx's. "For now, you're my prisoner!" The serpents of fire hissed and blazed her up off the floor. Captain Nightshade gripped her staff tightly and looked at her ship. "Oi you Scurvy lot... Back to the ship!"

Ruko managed to move the water across to them, bringing her ship close by. Nightshade's crew hopped on and defended it from the other pirates, slicing them as their ropes flew across. Both sides had lost good crew hands but sacrifices had to be made in a battle.

Nightshade dragged Jinx across, then stopped at the mast. "Actually... I'll let you stay behind for this..." Her serpents chained her to the mast of Sirens blood. "Don't want you missing the main event..." She waved her hand up and hopped onto her ship, "Toodles!"

Loke looked down at Lucy as he landed safely back in the spirit world. "Lucy' we're not out of it yet..."

He tossed a dazed and confused Blackwater aside and jumped to Lucy's side. "You can do this the easy way or the hard way... Give up and hand yourself in... or things can get more complicated..." Loke was tired, his voice was haggard. Being in the spirit world was surely going to help with that though.

Jinx didn't even have a chance. Being held down like a helpless child. Her blood began to boil just looking at the woman she loathed the most.

"Dammit!" Jinx screamed out breathing heavily as she scrunched her brows angrily. Enough was enough. Between Blackwater treating her like shit, the crew being no better, and worst of all, Nightshade. How could she be so easily defeated?

Jinx grit her teeth, growling under her staggered shameful breath. She felt humiliated.

"If I can't end her with my own hands..." she dropped her head. The rain stopped in the blink of an eye as did the waves. Everything was calm...way too calm.

The crew members from each ship looked around with wide frightened yet amazed eyes. They knew that this wasn't going to be good.

"Then I'll end everyone here...I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY!" Jinx howled, her screams echoing through the ocean as she shot her head up having a demonic smile on her face. Her eyes were greyer than ever, the color spinning around like a tropical storm.

The rain began to pour down harder than before making it impossible for anyone to see. The water between each boat began to spit out into a sinkhole that would surely drag everyone down to the bottom. It began to grow bigger and the ships slowly began moving towards it, tilting to the side a bit.

"Hahahah..." jinx just laughed and hung her head back down.

"Let's see you try and get out of this one Nightshade..."

Meanwhile, Lucy blinked a few times trying to figure out if this was a dream or reality. Everything was happening so fast. One minute she was on the ship and the next she was in the spirit world. Still drenched from rain, she turned on her heels towards the two men, squeaking her boots across the floor.

Blackwater didn't look too happy...but neither did Leo.

"I'll never! Kill me if you must, but I will not give up to land scum like you!" Blackwater spat at Loke, giving him the evil eye.

Things were still so chaotic. Lucy stepped forward, placing her hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Do it." The words she didn't want to say slipped out of her mouth...but what Leo said earlier was true.

"We're pirates at the moment. And if he wants to play dirty...then so will we..."

She pulled her own whip out and dug her heel into the ground.

"GIVE UP! OR ELSE YOU'LL RECEIVE THE SAME PUNISHMENT LEO WENT THROUGH!" She had, had enough of his crap.

Loke was surprised by her response but weirdly pleased she felt the same way. "You stripped me of my pride, my dignity and most importantly my fairy tail emblem... But you made me feel human... That taught me something..." He strolled over to Blackwater. "Humans are fragile... There is only so much they can take before they drop to their knees for good."

He narrowed his eyes at him. Loke understood that humans are fragile, yet still have the ability to keep going, even when things looked like there was no escape. Humans are naturally fighters and he was proud to serve them.

"We're giving you the chance here Blackwater. The human way out... Give up. Don't make us treat you like the monster you really are."


	35. Chapter 35 - Deep Waters

**Chapter 35 - Deep Waters**

Back in the chaos filled waters, the two ships battled it out. Fire burned the decks, gunpowder clung to the air and scorched your lungs.

Jinx, the mysterious woman with a curious grudge against Captain Nightshade was beyond furious. She had been so easily defeated and was drowning in her own rage. She had be bound to Siren Blood's main mast as Nightshade and her crew were making their getaway.

Her blood boiled beneath her flesh. Waves stirred, and slowly began to open up between the two ships. It was swallowing water, twisting it violently, causing both ships to tilt in its direction.

Nightshade started to fly off the edge, but a strong pair of arms grabbed her. Her first mate Max took a hold of her, grabbing onto the ropes, bringing them both back to the top deck.

"Thanks..." She said as she clung to her helm tightly. "Hold on a little more men... I've still got this..." The woman could feel her magic weakening, but she still had one last hope.

"Now Lucy and Loke need to get back safely..." She grabbed her helm and fought against the strong currents. Her crew members were working the sails and trying their best but it was beginning to look like a losing battle to mother nature.

Back in the spirit world, Blackwater shifted his eyes to Lucy then back to Loke. What chance did he really have? He would have to give up or just die. He was stuck in this other dimension, feeling gravity crushing his back slowly. His stomach churned.

"Like I said before you pitiful land scum. I'd rather die, so go ahead. Do it..." he smirked at Leo, spitting down at his shoes.

"...Unless you don't have the guts to do it..." The deep, groggy voice was taunting the celestial mage, and her Lion…

His firstmate wasn't doing too well either. Jinx was still held down, shaking violently from the overwhelming feelings that were hitting her. Her eyes locked onto Nightshades from across the sinkhole.

"Not now Jinx...you must... contain yourself..." small flashbacks from her past began to run through her head like a movie. Things she hadn't remembered until this very moment.

There were two little girls sitting on tiled floor in a big room with warm sunlight shining through the pearly white curtains. They had long burgundy hair and seemed to be...Happy…

"Stop it..." Jinx could feel her concentration being broken as the two little girls began to laugh. One carrying the other around the room on her back. Everything was in slow motion and their laughter filled her ears. You'd think this would be a memory to cherish, but to Jinx, it was only torture.

She thrashed to the side hitting her head on the side of the boat trying to break free from what held her down and her thoughts.

"FUCKING DAMMIT!" Using all her strength, Jinx pulled to the side,her veins popping out her neck and face.

The vision only got worse for her. As the two little girls began to run around, the bigger girl accidentally dropped the smaller girl. She began crying, holding onto her knee as a man and woman rushed into the room and scooped her up, trying to comfort her. Even the other little girl tried to help…

"I can't...do it..." At that moment, Jinx dropped her head in shame, tears pouring down her face. Her concentration was completely broken. The sinkhole began to close and the rain died down.

Her chest heaved in, unevenly, Blackwaters crew mates began to stumble towards her with wide eyes. They'd never seen her in this state. She was hysterical.

Finally, the sink hole closed completely leaving everyone confused as to why Jinx even stopped, but were so thankful.

She sat there still bound by the serpents and cracked a smile, sniffling from her recent break down.

"Heh..I see...I guess it wasn't my time to end you just yet...but..." with all her strength Jinx pulled her legs up and pushed up as hard as she could, managing to slip away from the serpents. "Nuuuuh! Eh...damn..."

With her head still down, she wiped her face, regaining full control of her emotions again and lifted her head, turning it to gaze towards Nightshade's ship which was already a good distance away.

"But one day...I will meet you again...Sister of mine." Jinx scowled. You see, Jinx knew, but Nightshade did not…

Meanwhile, Loke stared down Blackwater, gripping the whip tightly. He was grinding his teeth. The lion looked back at Lucy slightly. Did he have the guts to do this? And what would Lucy think of him if he actually went ahead with it. He was hoping he'd just give up.

"You're willing to just give up... Because of your pride...?" He said bluntly. He knew that feeling far too well. He felt that way before, but Lucy made him see clearly.

"You should be thankful for your human life. Especially when it's so easily taken from you." He cracked the whip to his side seeing Blackwater flinch a bit.

"Do you even know where you are right now!? This is the spirit world. " he stormed over and kicked him down, standing over him.

"Are you starting to feel dizzy?" He cracked it again.

"I want to use this on you. I want my revenge. I'm Leo, the lion spirit and my ancestors before me wouldn't have given you the chance. But I'm also a fairy tail wizard... I'm not going to kill you. " he tossed the whip back, and it skidded along the ground by Lucy's feet.

"But I am going to keep you here long enough until you pass out...So I will ask you again... We can do this the easy way.. Or the hard way... We can arrest you and take you back as our prisoner or we can fight. What will it be, Captain Blackwater?"

Loke had to buy time.

Blackwater scowled up at him. He really had no way of getting back did he? He spat at his feet again.

"The spirit world, huh?"

He staggered back to his feet, towering over the lion. "That makes her your owner, does it not?" He narrowed his eyes wickedly, and raised his arm to point at Lucy. He looked at Loke, smirked and shot a chained claw from his sleeves. The huge claw grabbed Lucy and raised her up.

"Lucy!?" He chose the hard way then. Loke slipped his hands into his jacket and pulled out his green card (the recent gift from the Spirit king). "Lioness armour!"

Her body glowed gold and sparkles fell as the incredibly strong armour formed around her pirate shirt. The claw was starting to crack around it.

"You're going to regret choosing the hard way...Bloody pirate."

Loke ran for him and swung his fist at him, only to have it met by a larger claw from his other sleeve. It pushed him back to Lucy's side.

He held both his hands up, filling them with Regulus to blast the claw away from them both and back into the huge pirate. It knocked him down and gave Loke some time to whisper to Lucy. "We need to wear him down until he passes out. Then we can arrest him and claim your reward... I've got your back, will you have mine?" He smiled at her, ready to fight.

Lucy stared down at her lioness armor. It made her feel so powerful. Just like a real lion. She slid her foot back, twisting it slightly as she smiled back at him, nodding her head.

"I'll always have your back!" The blonde cheered and shifted her eyes back over to Blackwater. He didn't seem phased by the spirit world just yet. That only meant he was stronger than she thought, but no matter his strength, she'd never give up. Including after what he put her and Leo through. It was payback time !

"Alright..let's do this..." She said with a determined smirk.

Meanwhile, Sirens Blood floated in the rain. Nightshade stood at her helm and stared over at it in the distance as her crew were escaping.

"You've once again taken half my crew... It's time I ended this for good. Leo Minor has told me Leo and Lucy are on the spirit world with Blackwater... Now it's time to break his legend..." The scarlet haired women grinned widely. "Do it..." She said to the water, slamming her staff down onto the deck, clutching a silver key in her hand.

As the staff struck the deck, a sonic boom rippled across the water. The air around them grew cold and still for a moment. The sort of silence and chill you get during a solar eclipse. The sky gets dark, birds vanish and everything seems to stop.

Nightshade walked over to the edge of the ship, staring out with a serious expression.

"This time, I am not letting you have a second chance Blackwater… Destroy his precious ship."

A figure stepped out of the shadows on Blackwaters ship. She was carefully treading over the bodies of fallen sailors.

"My master has ordered me to destroy this ship... I would escape now, or perish in my path..." The figures red eyes glinted in the light of fire which remained in the lanterns and wreckage on board. The sails were ablaze and smoking.

"I will give you until the count of three to escape... " a sudden slash went down the chains to free Jinx completely.

"My master only wishes for her crew's safety. But tries to limit the death toll when she is able... But trust me when I say... You will die if you cross her..."

The woman before Jinx was tall, slender, and has long pale green, grey hair. She was heavily tattooed, wore a hat but there was something off about her...

"Three..."

Her eyes narrowed across her shadowed face. She smirked as she spoke. It was comical to her.

"Two..." The wood around her on the ship was cracking, but the smoke from the fire was making it hard to see her form.

She looked up, about to speak, giving Jinx one last chance.

Jinx, The storm mage furrowed her brows at the woman before her. She didn't exactly know what to do in this situation, but one thing was for sure, she had to survive no matter what!

Everything began to blur. Like the world was in slow motion. Jinx pushed one leg behind her and yelled out to the remaining crew.

"JUMP!"

As soon as those words left her mouth it became chaotic once again on Sirens blood. Noise, shouting, splashing and crying filled the air, breaking the deadly silence. The men scrambled away. Some grabbing bottles of rum as quick as they could and other grabbing something to float on.

Meanwhile, Jinx grit her teeth and quickly took off, running towards the peak of the ship and leapt off, diving head first into the water just as the green haired woman spoke.

"One..." She muttered.

There was a terrible rumble as the woman vanished. What took its place was no longer a woman...

Nightshade smirked, and started laughing. "Cetus... Show them what a real sea monster can do..."

The storm twisted the sky into a dark oblivion, rocketing icy rain down onto Sirens blood. Loud, melodic whale like howls cut through the rain, before churning deeper...

That's when an almighty crash ruptured the air, two huge thick, slimy lime green tentacles smashed down through the Sirens blood, shattering it in two, more curled up around the edges,tearing the sails and mast apart. They twisted and constricted against the ship's frame and threw pieces into the ocean with no care in the world. The beast was merciless.

Nightshade and her few remaining crew watched from the Black lotus, silently.

"Captain... You're letting her live?" Her first mate asked, curiously in a hushed tone.

"If she can survive this ocean, then she has every right to live as the rest of us. She chose her side, and we chose ours. " she replied, not taking her eyes off the destruction, the light of fire flickering in her cold blue eyes. The beast managed to grab a few remaining crew members and flung them into the ocean too.

Jinx had never swam so fast in her life. Pieces of wood flew out across the ocean. Some landing on crew members and some barely missing her. The waves didn't help much to help her get away. Salt water ran up into her nose and mouth making her choke from the horrid taste and stinging feeling. Luckily for her she was able to get away from the chaos and grab a longboard that was just wide enough for her to climb on top. Jinx pulled her bandana off and tucked it into her pocket, brushing the wet hair away from her face. The taste of salt nipped at her taste buds making her thirsty already, but she was bound and determined to stay alive.

Her and the remaining crew members watched as the torn apart ship sunk down. Bubbling up the water and making light waves now.

Jinx turned her attention over to where Nightshade's ship was and rubbed her eyes trying to clear her vision, smirking and shaking her head.

"Not bad...Not bad at all..."

The desperate crew members began kicking their legs leaving her behind. Before she knew it, she was alone once again.

Jinx let out a deep sigh and looked out over the horizon trying to regain her thoughts so she could survive. She mentally face palmed herself and closed her eyes. For a moment she had forgotten about her ability to control the weather. She looked around for a moment before pulling off her first top, leaving her in just a bikini top and ripped the cloth in half.

Jinx took a long piece of wood drifting past and slammed the length across her knee breaking it into equal half's, rung her cloth out the best she could and tied all four ends to each stick to make a sail. Then she held it up a bit, began concentrating the best she could. Next thing she knew the wind picked up and the wood began moving along with her.

Jinx knew it would be a long journey, but she had to get out of here.

It was on in the spirit world. Loke nodded to Lucy, and they both leapt into action. Chains erupted out of Blackwater's hands, each with small black thorns on the cold metal.

"Let's rough him up...Stay sharp." The lion said, avoiding a strike from his chains, but getting his jacket shredded as it passed by. Loke fired a blast of Regulus at him, causing him to cover his eyes for a moment, giving Lucy a chance to strike.

On the other hand, Lucy could feel her magic energy draining. Between trying to focus and her body hurting, she was struggling to keep up. The blonde forced herself to keep going as much as she could and snapped her whip at Blackwater who jumped back.

She grit her teeth in annoyance, trying to maintain even breathing. The mage looked down at her keys then back at Loke. She knew she could only use them once more and then that might have not been enough. She gulped down a hard dry lump in her throat and shifted her eye to the ground noticed a water puddle.

"Wait.." A light bulb appeared over Lucy's head as she got a great idea.

It hadn't really come to her attention that she was actually in the spirit world, meaning she wouldn't have to use as much of her magic. Immediately Lucy smirked as she pulled out a key and down to the puddle, pressing the top into the water.

"She..might kill me later, but..." Lucy twisted the key and with all her might, screamed out.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE WATER BEARER! AQUARIUS!" The bright light shot from the key as a very angry and unpleased blue haired woman appeared out from the key. She had a dark and unfriendly aura spinning around her head backing Lucy squeal.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SUMMONING ME FROM PUDDLES ?!" Aquarius talked through clenched teeth and got into Lucy's face, holding her vase by her side.

"S-Sorry ! But I need you! That man over there is-"

"Yeah yeah I know. Tch...You know you're dumber than you look. You could have just called out my name instead of using your key to summon me. You are in the spirit world!"

Lucy slipped over and poked her lip out pouting.

"I didn't even think of that..."

"And I'm still wondering why Leo is with such a ditsy blonde." The blue haired water woman smirked and flicked her tail as she turned her back to Lucy.

"You really make 'the dumb blonde' scenario seem true."

"I SUMMONED YOU TO HELP ME NOT TO CRITICISE ME!"

Aquarius simply rolled her eyes and held up her vase.

"Yeah yeah blondy. Just let me do my job and go back. I have a date later tonight!" And with that the water woman inhaled sharply, screaming out in annoyance as she filled her vase with water, only to quickly raise it above her head and shot it right towards Blackwater who was caught off guard by both Leo and his own weakness.

Unfortunately the gust of water rammed into both Leo and Blackwater, sending them both flying into a wall.

"HEY! THAT'S MY BO-...FIANCÉ!"

"Hmph...I dealt with what I needed to! Now...I'll be leaving!"

Lucy smacked her hand over her face and groaned, sliding it down as the light began to glow again.

"Oh and don't summon me for about a week! I'm going in vacation with Scorpio! So don't summon him either! Tata!" Before Lucy could say anything she had vanished making Lucy pout even more.

"Uggh...that woman..." She shook her head and turned her attention to see Leo and Blackwater laid out on the ground. The blonde jogged over to her lover just as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Loke! Are you okay?" She bent down next to him and pushed his hair away from his face.

Loke rolled back and slammed into Blackwater with a groan. He looked up and rubbed his head. The captain was as dazed as he was. He shook his head before sending his fist up to Blackwaters face, completely knocking him out.

The lion slowly turned his head back to Lucy, and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Eheh... Aquarius did a number on both of us, but that should wear him down enough..." He pushed himself up and looked down at the pirate.

"Let's bind him and head back to Nightshades ship..."

Meanwhile, Cetus thrashed its tentacles into sirens blood. Wood shattered and flew into the air. It curled the tendrils around its hull, crunching it into pieces, leaving only fragments of his ship remaining..

The crew of Nightshades Black lotus watched from afar, silently. This was Nightshades thump card. It was the main reason this female pirate had become feared on the ocean in such a short amount of time. _Not even Loke was aware of this._

Everything was calm again. Lucy and her Lion lover finally defeated Blackwater.

She let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling the stress rolling off her shoulders.

Through she was in pain, she knew loke had to be in 10x more pain. He had been through Hell and back on this mission.

As the two lovers tied up the wicked man, Lucy stopped him for a moment before they left the spirit world and went back to the ship.

"Loke.." Her voice was so calm and innocent. Lucy rose to her tippy toes and pecked him on the cheek.

"By the way...I have a surprise for you later on." She winked at him playfully. He just responded with a cheeky grin.

Loke helped Lucy bind Blackwater, and dragged him over to her. "You ready to head back?" He said with an exhausted smile.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, and held onto the rope tying Blackwater tightly. "Let's go through Leo Minors gate to her ship."

He said as his body appeared in front of the small lion who simply raised an eyebrow at him. "You come too." He grinned and they all travelled through with shining silver and gold light erupting onto the Black Lotus's deck at Nightshade's side.

The sight that beheld them was pretty breathtaking. Not because of its beauty, but because of the raw destruction that had taken place in their absence...

"... What the..." Loke said, staring out at what was left of Siren's Blood. He saw the swirl of tentacles dive underwater and the waves begin to die down.

Captain Nightshade simply smirked and turned to them, noticing they had an unconscious Blackwater as their prisoner. Leo minor joined her side and looked at them.

"I see you got what you came for... We can throw him in the brig until we get to shore... But to be sure, I want Ruko to freeze parts of him..." She said with a serious expression. "Can't have him waking up and destroying _my_ ship..."

Ruko grabbed him and froze his limbs and the ropes, then dragged him down to the brig.

Meanwhile Loke stood quietly, and a little pale. The waves had calmed, the monster was gone, but now standing behind Captain Nightshade on Deck.

The beast had changed to a much more presentable form. The form that spoke with Jinx on deck. Long green pair, Tri-corn pirate hat, and long leather coat with a wet black and purple feathered quills. She was wearing sharp red lipstick and was ringing out the ends of her coat of water. She hadn't even noticed the zodiac leader standing in front of her owner.

Nightshade looked confused by Loke's expression to Cetus. The scarlet haired pirate raised an eyebrow to him and clicked her fingers in front of his face. "What's with you? I thought you'd be happy you were able to complete your mission? " She said, looking back to Cetus.

"Ah, Great job Cetus." She said with her hand extending out to high five her, only to be shot down with a cold glance. She swiftly pouted and put her hand back to her side, laughing awkwardly.

"Meet Cetus, Otherwise know as the sea monster key..." She said quietly, hoping the green haired spirit didn't hear her. "The newest edition to my little team.."

Then, with a horribly familiar voice, Cetus spoke. "Pfft, Sea monster. I'm far too pretty to be called a monster... Yet they still said I'd be best to serve this key after my father.."

Loke peered from behind Lucy to look at her. "...Lucy... I think I need to go sit down..." He said, staring at the new Cetus.

Lucy hadn't taken the time to examine Cetus yet. She was too preoccupied with being exhausted. Her head felt like...well, a ship wreck. Waves pounding against the side and the salty taste of sea water consumed her mouth.

"Hmm?"

The blonde blinked her dried eyes and turned towards Loke, watching his complexion fade into a sick white. He looked like he had just seen a ghost...

"You're probably just as tuckered out as I am. Let's go back to our bunk for the night?" She managed to smile taking his arm and draped it over her shoulder. The musky manly smell hit her nose making her shiver in her boots.

Just the simplest things, like the smell of his Cologne could instantly make her feel better.

Lucy shifted her eyes back towards the Capitan who had the same confused expression plastered across her face.

Finally, Lucy also glanced back at Cetus realizing why Loke needed to sit down. The green hair and fair skin. The same scowling look just like the woman who was floating in her cup that one morning months ago.

The blonde gulped and took a deep breath.

"I think we've have enough excitement for one day, huh?" She chuckled awkwardly as she shuffled her and a dumbfounded Leo to the door, pulling it open trying to seem casual.

"Hahaha! Uhh- well, see you in the morning captain! Haha-...a-and it was a pleasure meeting you Kar-KAH...I MEAN CETUS! GOODNIGHT!" Lucy quickly moved out and pulled the door closed behind her almost toppling over with Loke.

"Nnnnhh...come on. You're not exactly light you know!" But Leo was still stuck in a rut, trying to figure out if what he had seen was actually real...

The captain sent Cetus back and let them take their leave before taking the helm back and chanting in victory.

"Captain please stop singing!"

"Never!" And she continued, in a jolly good mood.

Loke went with Lucy, quivering a little. She saw it too. She knew what he was thinking.

"...Lucy... Do you remember me saying all celestial spirit mages are reborn into the stars...?" He gulped. "And how it was near impossible to find them again..."

He looked at her then sat down on the edge of their bed. "Seems I was wrong about the latter part."

"Yes, of course I remember, but I don't understand why!" She paced back and forth in the room having a sudden burst of energy. "So, wait wait wait, if I treated my spirits like ….Karen treated hers, including Aries, when I die I'd become a monster-like spirit?!" Lucy shivered feeling a sharp bone chilling feeling run through her spine. Just the thought of being a monster with scales and just-

"Eeek! Nononononono... Uhh.." She groaned from the confusion and noticed Loke still looking sickish from the corner of her eye. She furrowed her brows and knelt down in front of him taking his shaking hands into hers.

"Hey now, how about you allow me to relieve some of your stress? We've both been through Hell and back today, heh. How about a nice relaxing Lucy backrub! You deserve it after today..." The blonde placed one of her warm hands upon his cold cheek, rubbing her thumb against it lovingly.

"So, how about it?" Lucy grinned widely and pushed up onto the balls of her feet, pecking her lips against his nose.

Loke smiled tenderly against Lucy's touch and rested his head against her hand,

"There aren't any particular rules to it... That I know of. But it seems that you reap what you sew... " he smiled slightly.

He closed his eyes momentarily gathering his thoughts. "I would like a back rub ... But... I don't think rubbing my back right now is going to heal it... How about a kiss from a beautiful woman?" He looked up at her innocently. "That may take my mind off things."

The ship started to move out into the calm ocean. Nightshade was taking them back to shore to get blackwater off her ship as soon as possible.

Max, the Black Lotus's first mate strolled up beside Nightshade, looking out at the ocean from the helm with her as the deck hands all worked below them. He had a quiet and calm, but deep voice. "...So, Megan… Any reason why that Jinx girl was so Hell bent on your murder?"

The captain snapped her head back to him, "I told you to address me as Nightshade when we are working... " she said through gritted teeth, not wanting the less important members of her crew to know her first name.

Max raised an eyebrow at her questionably. "I could call you more embarrassing things…" his lips curved into a smirk. Ruko was right, he has been getting the special treatment from the captain.

Her eyebrow twitched, and she glared at her first mate. "...Alright whatever, anyway, I have no idea why she was so mad... " She sighed. "But I felt oddly sorry for her. I just can't put my finger on why…." She pondered, continuing to sail her ship back to port, letting the two lovers rest in the cabin below them…


	36. Chapter 36: Stormy Eyes

**Chapter 36 – Stormy Eyes**

The stormy skies above the Black Lotus were quelling, as were the crew. They patched themselves up the best they could, and resumed making repairs. Holes had to be patched, and masts had to be supported.

Lucy chuckled her under her breath, blushing even deeper at her Lion's request for a kiss,

"You don't have to ask silly..." Her eyes narrowed to the side as a huge goofy grin spread across her glowing face. Even with her still semi-damp hair, that was frizzed up and smelling of sea water, Lucy was still as elegant and beautiful as always, especially to Loke.

The passionate flames in her eyes grew brighter as Lucy rested her other hand on his cheek, pushing herself upward until their lips grazed each others teasingly. She mumbled quietly.

"My lips- No...my whole body belong to you and you only. Do with it as you please my love..."

Her heart leapt into her throat after saying those words. She thought she'd never say them, but it was exactly how she felt.

Lucy could feel him smirking against her lips, and not soon after their lips finally pushed together. Both feeling the same exact spark just like the first time.

"Mm.."

It felt like forever since they had been so close. Loke was more than accepting. They'd just not had the chance. Even with his body still getting strikes of pain now and then, Lucy's love was enough to numb it.

The lion traced his fingers over her skin, gently brushing down her collar bones. His gaze lowered to it as his lips sent sweet clusters of kisses down to her neck. He then swept one hand carefully behind her, arching her down so he was almost pinning her.

"My heart and soul belong to you, Princess. " he gave her the sweetest of smiles before returning to his advance of kisses down her body. His other hand had started to find itself heading up her thigh, slowly inching inwards the further up it got. He was taking it slow, enjoying her curves, her scent, the warmth of her skin and the heavy pounding of her heart beating so closely to his.

Lucy hummed joyfully, cracking a smile from the tender neck kissing. She had been feening like an addict for him to touch her in any way possible. It was something that she cherished being he had been the only one to ever touch her, and she planned to keep it that way.

"Nnnnhh.."

As his hand moved up her inner thigh, Lucy slipped her fingers through the back part of his ginger hair with one hand, whilst using the other to slowly untuck his white button up.

"L-Loke..." The blonde moaned out with a staggered voice, slowly sliding her hand up his shirt tracing her fingers across his toned stomach.

The low pitter patter of her heart beat grew rapidly as his finger brushed against her semi-damp panties, causing her body to tremble in anticipation. Loke always knew her sweetest spots…

Loke's fingers trace the warmth between her thighs, exploring the edges of her underwear slowly. Her heat was pulsing against his finger tips, dancing with each movement. Loke's head descends down her front, having just slid her shirt off with his free hand. The lion paints her naked flesh with sweet butterfly kisses. His tender but electric kisses spark shivers over her flesh which show up against his tongue in the form of goosebumps. With a victorious smirk, he reached her waist line, he took a glance up at her, savouring those storm filled eyes. Those hungry eyes that bore into his own. They drove him. They were his fuel.

He shifted his body so his lips were at her ankle as he knelt on the ground. His other hand now venturing back north, up the inside of her legs, caressing her soft, sizzling skin.

"Do with you as I please..." He purred in a deep velvety tone.

"You are an illicit drug, Lucy... And I plan to get high from you..." He spoke In a lower more lustful octave than usual, arching his head up to look directly into those hawk eyes of hers.

Slowly, his lips edged up her legs, mapping a path up to his hands which were now removing those lace panties back down to the ground.

Making love was one thing, but the actions going down now were new to Lucy. It was nerve wrecking to think about it, but just as exciting. She cocked her head to the left, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Lucy inhaled sharply as one of her sweet spots that was hidden between her sweet lips began to tingle as her lion grew closer.

Her eyes flickered down meeting his. She could sense his hunger, making her only want his touch even more now.

The blonde hoisted her hips up allowing Leo to have easier access to remove her laced undergarment. The lace rested against her ankles trapping her lion between her legs.

The smell of her sweet tantalizing arousal filled both of their noses. She was already drenched and he hadn't even began the real fun yet.

"Haaa..." Loke's hot breath hit her womanhood. Lucy slightly arched her back, letting out a moan of desperation.

"P-Please..touch me...Loke..."

The lioness begged, running her fingers back through his silky hair.

Loke was pleased with her response. His hand explored back up her leg was left behind by the sweet touch of his lips on her inner thigh. Loke playfully takes his time, edging nearer and nearer to her arousal, savouring her every inch, fighting the urge to devour her. He listened to each breath of Lucy's getting shallower the closer he got.

Finally, his lips fell upon her. Loke lowered his eyes until they were half lidded, taking in the sensation and delightful taste of his princess. Gently he parted his lips and began to trace her quivering heat, tortuously slow. He was attentive and adored every second of her as he had a taste.

His eyes re-opened to watch her body respond to his actions, watching her sensually squirm and writhe against his tongue. The repetitive magical motion of his mouth clamped down on her. He was hoping she was diving into the depths of pleasure, he wanted to make her mind melt.

Finally his fingers had caught up and traced her womanhood alongside his tongue. The teasing smirk re-appeared over his lips. He was enjoying toying with her. It had felt like forever.

"Heh.." His warm breath etched over her moisture, sending an intense sense of electricity across her body, a pleasure that only Loke wanted to give her.

Lucy's body felt like it was going to explode from the intense pleasure she was receiving. The way his tongue glided against her warmth was a new kind of bliss to her - Like being on cloud nine. A numbing sensation consumed her body, making it impossible to control her own actions. Lucy unintentionally rocked her hips up, craving for him to have a deeper taste of her womanhood.

"Ahh-haaa..."

Lucy moaned out daintily, repeating her actions over and over. To think this was only the beginning of their fun. A thought sparked into her mind, remembering the addictive sounds of her Lions moans, wanting to hear them once again, the blonde gripped the back of his hair, smirking devilishly. She had decided that not only would she be pleasured tonight, but so would he. Very...very...soon...

Loke's tongue was tattooing words into her warmth, allowing her body to react further to his assault. He signed her with his name, as she submitted to him. He could feel her thighs clamp down on his head as the pleasure took a hold of her, until she grabbed his head. His eyes flicked up to hers with a questionable expression, his tongue still extended onto her, cheeks hot and scarlet. He was panting hungrily, giving her a lustful, lewd expression. It was taking everything in his power to not have a taste of this ecstasy himself. However this unrelenting force he had to not come up for air until she was calling his name had taken over his mind. Lucy was wickedly delicious. He felt like she was staring at him so intensely that she could read his mind. His fingers spiralled the outside of her, and tortured her by not going any deeper. He wanted her to feel his hunger. A hunger for him. A lions hunger.

Her lip quivered, squeezing one eye shut having such an innocent expression. The tip of her womanhood was twitching from her lion's heavenly tongue work, but she craved more.

Lucy shuffled her legs, tossing her lace to the side with one foot and pulled her legs further up his back. Using her hand that was still intertwined with his locks, Lucy felt him tease her spot by flicking his tongue against it, making her jerk his head slightly.

"Nnnnh-ahh...L-Loke..I-..." The blondes body heated up tremendously, making her sweetness grow rapidly as well. Somehow, Leo managed to never let a drop of her warm juices hit the sheets which drove Lucy to oblivion. She finally released his hair and gripped her with both hands, unable to to take much more before bursting. Parting her lips slowly, Lucy allowed repeated moans to escape her mouth as her climax rose faster than ever, but she wasn't ready to just yet.

Moving one hand back down, Lucy crept it under Lokes chin, pulling his head away from his meal.

"My turn to have a taste..."

Lucy's eyes flicked down to the bulge in his pants. She nipped at her bottom lip having the urge to pounce on him, but she had to take it slow..

"Let me make you purr..."

Loke lifted his head from her, locking eyes with his princess. He was still hungry for her, his chest heaved until she spoke. It almost stopped his heart. His lips curved into a smirk. "Alright, Lucy... Your turn..." He said in a state of breathlessness as he got off his knees.

He rose to his feet, hands caressing up her sides to her cheeks. He gazed down at her intensely, letting her do whatever she wanted with him.

Lucy planned to embark on a new journey for herself. One she had never dared to think of doing. She pulled herself up to her knees, tilting her head up to her lover watching her curious facial expression. This was a point if no return. Lucy knew she had to do it perfectly. She wanted- no..she needed to pleasure him in every way possible.

Not long ago while her lion was handling his spirit business, Lucy read a book. Not just any book. Levy had lent it to her and it sparked many new pleasuring Idea's into her brain.

With one of the thoughts still fresh on her mind, Lucy began removing his belt, her eyes still watching his like a hawk ready to snatch his prey up. She herself was just as hungry as he was, which made the moment even more intense. She flung his belt to the side, leaned in, using her tongue to flick the end of the zipper up. She hooked two fingers on each side of his trousers whilst clamping her teeth down onto the zipper, pulling it downward. Leo's lewd reaction only made her feel more excited about what she planned on doing.

Now tugging his pants and boxers down, Lucy caught a glimpse of his semi-hard member springig out. A cocky smirk crept on her lips. She wrapped one of her small hands around the bridge, still never breaking passionate contact. The blond parted her rosy lips, tilted her head slightly as she pulled the tip between her lips. Using her tongue, she lightly flicked the head before rolling it around the edges and pushed down a quarter of the way. She pressed her lips down adding a pleasuring tightening effect. By the sounds of it, Leo was enjoying himself just as much as Lucy was…

Lokes eyes lowered, the thick Haze of pleasure tugged at his core. Lucy was so warm, soft and addictive. He bit the edge of his lip as she took more of him past her lips. A few staggered breathes broke past his teeth, adding to his already panting breath.

His hand lowered to grip a hold of the bed sheets, slowly holding onto it tighter. "Aah... Lucy.." His lips twisted to a intoxicated smile. Lucy would bring him to his knees, with just her tongue alone.

Lucy fluttered her eyes shut. Now able to fully concentrate on her task, she moved only half way down his thick shaft before pulling back up. Another naughty thought popped into her mind making her smirk against him. She eased her hand over towards his and pulled it back resting it on the back of her head allowing him to grip her hair to guide her head anyway he desired.

The blonde wiggled her hips slightly moving her shoulders up as she began trailing back down his member further than before. Opening her eyes once again, Lucy shot her eyes up to examine his expressions. The way he nipped at the edge of his lip made her moan, vibrating his tip making him twitch.

Lucy couldn't wait to get a taste of her lion.

Loke was in a tsunami of pleasure but no matter what she did, he wanted more of her. He bit down harder on his lip, letting slip a slight grunt of air from his breath. He rolled his eyes down to her, his fingers running through her golden hair softly, until he stopped her, and tilted her head up to him. As she removed her mouth, the lion ran his index finger across her rosy lower lip. He smirked at Lucy stared up at his smouldering gaze.

"Lucy... " He hesitated for a moment. There was a moment of silence that felt like it hung forever. Torturing his senses. Only the sounds of their staggered breaths and the loud pounding of their hearts echoed throughout the moodily lit cabin. Waves crashed up the sides outside. There certainly was intense weather on the way again.

He leant down and grabbed her hips, pulling her up into his arms and swiftly carrying her over to the desk by the window. He swept one arm over the desk and knocked everything down to the floor. "..Always wanted to do that.."

He said with a hot and heavy tone. The lion then arched her down onto it so her legs were wrapped around the haunches of his back.

"I couldn't wait any more Lucy. I'm sorry. I had to have you..." He purred with his velvet voice.

Almost knocking the wind out of her as he swooped her up and placed her on the desk. Lucy whimpered lowly from his lack of patience and urge of still wanting to taste him. Though she was much more excited now, Lucy felt a spark of dominance flow through her veins like a untamed lion.

"This is for not allowing me to taste you..." She proceeded to creepily tail her hand up the front of his shirt. Which happened to be one if his favourites and without hesitation yanked down sending the buttons flying in different directions.

"Next time don't interrupt me. Got it?" With the tie still dangling from his nexk, Lucy wrapped her hand around it pulling him down closer causing his member to press against her dripping warmth. The two let out a desperate moan, both wanting to be pleasured further.

Lucy rolled her eyes down, watching Loke's chest rise unevenly, listening closely. She could have sworn she heard a low lion-like growl coming from him.

She ran her tongue across the edge of her lips seductively before pushing up having their lips brushing against each others.

"Don't disappoint me Loke..." Even though Lucy already knew he wouldn't, she needed him to know how badly she needed him.

The lion felt a hint of submission wash over him as she scolded him. She was still his master after all. So this was how she was going to play? His eyes dropped down to hers, watching her curiously take control of him. She really was growing into an extremely confident woman, and worthy of being a queen. His queen. But he always knew that. His lips twitched into a smile at the thought.

His eyes followed down further, watching her lips closely. They were so sweet looking, so intoxicating. That's when she took a hold of him, and edged him closer to her body. He could feel that warmth all over again.

His hands ran up her thighs, holding them passionately, then with one teasing motion he rolled his hips against her, sketching over where his tongue had been previously. He wanted to remind her of what he did, the pleasure she felt with just his tongue alone. That's when he finally placed it correctly, his eyes flicked up at her before raising an eyebrow with a small smirk. "Your move, princess." He was playing with her senses, and he was enjoying it.

Lucy knew he was teasing her yet again when he push against her making her whimper. She bit the edge of her lip, staring deep into his eyes seeing much more than hunger. It was Love. More than any person could handle, but Lucy wasn't just anyone. She was his, and his alone and hoped it would stay that way forever.

Lucy snaked her arms around his neck, twirling her fingers through his silky copper hair before leaning upward placing sweet tender kisses up his neck and jawline until she reached his ear.

"I need you..." Her words shook along with her heated body, having a hint of desperation in her tone. She rolled her hips against him, squeezing her legs tighter around him causing his tip to push harder against her entrance.

"...Please Loke..."

Not only Lucy, but her body begged him as well.

"I love you.."

The lion stared back at her, once again being lost in those gorgeous eyes of hers. He offered to let her take control but she seemed to decline, maybe he will offer her the chance once more. Even if she rolled against him and took his breath away at the same time.

His lips reached up to her jaw, slowly making their way to hers but pausing before he kissed her. He didn't take his eyes off hers.

"Lucy." He replied, his hand moved down to greet hers. He entangled his fingers with hers tightly, feeling the ring on her finger.

"You are my absolute everything and I love you unconditionally. No... I don't just love you..." He said, his eyes piercing hers intensely. "I freaking worship you, Lucy... But I think you know that." His lips curved upwards into a slightly embarrassed smile.

Lucy's gaze rolled to the side peering at the edge of the desk to get a better view of how high they were up.

His loving words gave her a new kind of pleasure and confidence. She ran her tongue against her sweet lips before forming a devilish smirk in her face, making Loke ponder on what she was up to.

"Mmm..." Lucy hummed as she jerked him down, pressing the side of her mouth against his ear, whispering in a velvety tone.

"This may hurt a bit my love..." She clicked her tongue as she gripped her lion tightly and used a tremendous amount of her strength to rock to the side until they were rolling off the desk hitting the floor with a loud thud.

"Oooft..nnh...heh..." Lucy now on all fours stared down at the dumbfounded lion. Without allowing him to speak she wrapped her hand around his tie inching him up into a sitting position with her. Their lips grazed gently. Lucy, who still had the smirk on her face, grinded her hips down against Loke moaning ever so softly.

"Sorry about that...But when I say I need something, I mean it then and there..." Her grip on his tie grew, pulling him into a quick half second kiss before pulling away. If he was going to tease her, then she'd do the same.

Loke groaned under his breath as his back struck the rug on the floor of their cabin. How it stung those wounds. He was playing chess with her body then she came along and knocked the king right off the board. Quite literally.

"Lucy.." He looked up at her, squinting a little. "...You're in trouble for that." His eyes opened more, showing her his own stormy eyes, and a sly grin on his lips. He caressed down her sides, slowly sweeping his hands down to her ass and had a cheeky squeeze. The sly grin turned into a smirk.

He decided to obey her. She didn't want to play any more. She was serious. He moved his hips, adjusting his position, one hand went up to the back of her head, ruffling through her hair. He tilted his head to hers, and kissed her. She was on top, there wasn't too much he could do but arch his hips upwards, to allow her to take the helm.

He closed his eyes. This feeling of ecstasy coursed its way through his veins. That warmth enslaved him, but he never wanted to leave.

Lucy shivered as his hands ran up her curves. He was always so gentle, which made him even more irresistible.

Her sweet spot throbbed from the lack of pleasure. That is, until she felt his hips move upward gliding his member inside of her drenched warmth. Immediately Lucy pulled her chest against his, digging her nails into his shoulders to be sure she didn't hit his wounds, she'd already stung them with her previous actions.

"Haa...L-Loke..." She arched her back pushing closer feeling his heart thumping in rhythm with hers.

As his member moved deeper inside her Lucy's walls clenched down tightly nearly pushing him out, but luckily with her being on top he was able to plunge further.

"Nnnhh-ahh..." Even though they had done this before she still felt pain for the first few moments.

I mean...Leo was a big boy.

Loke gave her a low lustful growl, grazing his teeth across her lips and biting at them. He arched his hips back up to her, allowing them to both get a rhythm to their tango. One hand on her hip moved back down to her ass, using it to lever her sizzling body up against his broad chest, then back down to the full length of his member.

Loke almost rolled his head back in pleasure, but maintained it with the biting of her lip. Finally he tilted his head back up to kiss her. His tongue exploring past her lips, battling with hers.

Lucy snaked her arms back around his neck, Lucy happily kissed him back. She rolled her hips down against him, letting out a stuttered moan of pleasure feeling the tip of his shaft hit her back wall. It sent a wave of ecstasy through her body making her warmth drip down onto his inner thigh.

"Mmff..L-Loke..." Lucy inched back from the kiss, lowering her eyes gazing deep into his with a burning passion. Without saying anything else she slipped one hand up through the back part of his hair, tilting his head to the side to allow herself to trail sweet tender kisses across his jawline and down to the crook of his neck. Still grinding her hips in rhythm with his, she pressed her lips down against one of his sensitive spots, suckling softly.

The lion purred deeply from the depths of his lungs. It turned into a passionate growl as Lucy's lips explored his neck, whilst their bodies clashed in a fierce dance. One hand left her hair about to travel back down to her others ass cheek, but his gaze met it behind her head. "..." He quickly grabbed her hips, picking up the pace to a new, heated and wild level. He rolled his hips against hers.

"Nghh.. Lucy.. I don't think I am going to last much longer...Heh..." He was being entirely honest..

Lucy could feel his member twitching inside of her meaning his climax was near it's breaking point. Unfortunately Lucy wasn't but a quarter of the way there. She hummed in annoyance, dragging her lips across his skin until she reached his ear.

"Hold it in until I say to..." Her words word stern and serious. Lucy wasn't going allow him to release without doing so as well. It had been too long... She craved the feeling of the after high.

Her lioness side was showing more than ever before. Lucy let out a irritated moan, pushing Loke down onto his back again being sure not to hurt him this time.

"Nnnhh-ahh..." Her bottom lip quivered as her lions length twitched once again massaging every inch of her walls including her g-spot.

"Control yourself..." Her eyes locked on with his showing her lustful hunger.

Taking a hold of his hands intertwining their fingers together, the blonde pulled them up to the sides of his head and began pulling up at a slow place, thrusting back down causing his tip to pound against that sensitive back wall driving her crazy. Lucy needed more of him...Things were about to get a lot more heated than usual...

Loke could feel himself going dizzy from Lucy's all consuming pursuit. His vision was blurred as he tilted his head back and bit his lip hard. His hand ventured down her body, etching her curves before exploring more south, stroking over her tenderness as she thrusted. This was going to be a lot of hard work. Lucy was absolutely amazing, gorgeous and wild. God she was wild. Loke realized he had defiantly set her on the path of a lioness. His other hand held her hand, his fingers pressed against hers.

"Ha- I'll try.." He admitted once more.

The truth was, he needed to recover. His magical energy was running on the minimum and he could feel his body trying to pull him back through his key. He had to hold on. He had to hold on for Lucy. He closed his eyes tightly rolling his hips vengefully against her, grinding against her G-spot passionately with each movement.

"Ahhh-..haaa...Loke.." Lucy projected her voice gasping from his thrust. She grit her teeth, wanting to be the victorious one in this heated battle of dominance.

The room was muggy, making it harder to breath. Their lower bodies smacked together forcefully yet lovingly. Lucy dug deeper, moving him slightly past her g-spot causing her walls to tighten down against him.

Lucy dropped down having their bodies collide. She wrapped her arms back around him, pulling him up into a sitting position once again, grinding her hips faster and faster causing her warm juices to splash out against her lover.

"L-Loke...ahh-ahhh...hold it..in...a little longer..." The tip of her womanhood throbbed as her climax began rising tremendously. Her vision hazed. That high feeling already consuming her.

Loke buried his head in the crook of her neck, nipping his teeth at her skin trying to distract himself. _'think of Taurus, think of Taurus- GAH WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING'_ he mentally screamed, Lucy just kept making this so much better. His claws arched down her back, and dug into her ass. The lion let out a deep lustful growl as his teeth grazed her skin. It was almost too late for him.

Lucy tilted her head back for a moment sucking in a sharp breath from the much needed ass grab. It gave her a burst of energy allowing her to move a bit faster even though her legs were beginning to tingle meaning they would eventually be numb.

"Just..Nnn-ahh..a few more minutes..." The smacking noises grew louder along with the sounds of Leo's desperate moans about to explode. Lucy didn't want attention drawn to their cabin and knew his voice would only grow louder. She swiftly grabbed his face, slamming her lips down against his as their tongues danced together. The lovers savouring each others tantalizing taste whilst both pulling one another's bodies as close as possible.

Lucy could feel his member pulsing fast, beating in sync with his heart. The outline of his veins popping out, rubbing against the back wall of the blonde over and over drove her to the peak of her breaking point.

"Nuuhh-..Loke I'm about...to...haaa...!" Before Lucy could finish her sentence her eyes blurred and head began feeling light. With one last victorious push, the two released together pulling apart from the passionate kiss to moan in relief..

Lucy formed a smirk, daring to ask him for another around when she was blinded by a familiar golden light.

"H-Huh?! L..Loke? Wha-?!"

"Nononono! Not now!" He begged before looking up at Lucy innocently. "Ngh.. Lucy... When I said I wasn't going to last much longer .. It's because my magical energy sustaining me here was low and I-" that's when his gate opened and dragged him back, causing Lucy to land on her ass on the large rug.

"I'm sorry!" He pleaded through his key, until another light appeared in his place. The being stared down at her for a moment, taking it all in until they handed her a blanket. "Big Brother's magic energy was depleted... He can spend three years in the human world but one night with you after a few fights and that's what finally gets him...Punish me too." Virgo said with an expressionless face.

"Wha-..did I...?" Lucy looked around their cabin poking her lip out pouting angrily. She wanted tonight to be more than just pleasure, but also warmth. Him holding her tightly in his arms.

"Hmph..."

Another bright light startled her making her heart leap into her throat. With a blanket draped around her the familiar voice of one of her spirits rang her ears.

"Huh? Virgo what are yo-..WHAT?!" Hearing Virgo ask her foolish question made her flustered more than she already was.

"Virgo no! We've talked about this already!"

"But princess, I-"

"CLOSE GATE OF THE MAIDEN CLOSE GATE OF THE MAIDEN CLOSE GATE OF THE MAIDENNNN!" Lucy screamed as loud as she could sending Virgo back but heard one last comment.

"PLEASE PUNISH MEEeeeeeee..."

The mage furrowed her brows cursing under her breath. All she wanted was a peaceful day with her lion. Between almost getting killed, him disappearing, and Virgo...Well you get the point. Enough was enough!

"What else can go wrong?!" The irritated Lucy whined as she pulled the blanket over her body puffing her cheeks out.

That's when her cabin door opened and stood someone she didn't expect to see.

"Max?! What are you doing in here?!"

"... I heard... Never mind. I need to grab my gun." He said, walking into the cabin he had lent out to them. "..." He was actively ignoring the fact that Lucy's clothes were scattered across the floor, she had a heated expression on her face, and well it was obvious.

"... Where is Loke?" He asked, grinning slightly as he turned back to her, now holding the gun he came to retrieve from the cluster of items which were now on the floor of HIS room.

'A gun?! Seriously?!" Lucy closed her eyes trying to concentrate on different things, but it didn't work at all. Her brow flinched as she pulled the blanket around her curves more to not only keep Max from seeing, but also the cool draft flowing it from the outside.

"Uhhhhh...He had to go back to the spirit world...because he ran out of magic..." Lucy didn't know what else to say and was never really good at lying when it came to this situation. Which...she'd never been in before...soooo...

"Can you leave now...?"

Megan pushed her head past the door, peering around it with a huge smirk.

"He ran out of magic Huh? What on earth did you do?" She questioned before grabbing a hold of Max and pulled him out of the room so she could take his place. The Captain looked down at Lucy in the blanket.

"On second thoughts, don't answer that. I don't want to know. Anyway, thanks for catching Blackwater. The waters will be safer now without him... Tell Leo I said thanks too." She tilted her hat down to her, winking and then turned away, quickly closing the door. "Sleep well, Lucy." She chuckled and returned to her helm.

There was quiet for a while in the dully lit room. It was a bit of a mess from their recent activities and Lucy was curled up in bed with the blanket around her. That's when her keys began to glow.

"Lucy, hold my key..." A quiet voice popped up awkwardly. "Please?" Loke's voice asked softly.

"... I'm sorry. Its kind of embarrassing that I couldn't keep my energy high enough. I just want to hold you..." He admitted. Despite his heroic antics, his cockiness and pride. Deep down he was a sweet guy, who adored Lucy. "This is the least I can do to keep you warm.. Either that or I send Virgo back..." He could be heard laughing quietly behind his hand, trying to hold it back.

Lucy closed her eyes humming away the annoyance of today trying to stay peaceful. Nothing seemed to work...

Sighing deeply and pinching the skin between her brows, Lucy rose from the ground and crawled into the bed snuggling under the cool sheets trying to get comfortable. That didn't seem to help either. The lack of arms wrapped around her and the sweet words Leo whispered to her as she slept were exactly what she needed. About to groan angrily, Lucy's ears twitched in a sense hearing the voice of her lion. He sounded so innocent.

Now smiling like an idiot, Lucy reached over to the desk and pulled off her Leo key bringing it close to her chest.

"It's fine Loke..." Lucy chuckled at his words, too exhausted to rage out. Besides, how could she be mad at him when he's being so romantic? Well- at least this was romantic to her.

"But you owe me once you've regained your magic. I just-..." Lucy blushed pushing her face into the pillow slightly.

"I want to mmm...talk...about wedding plans..." That's when she shoved her face fully into the pillow her face steaming. It was crazy to think they were going to get married...But it was crazy good.

Loke stopped laughing. The reality was really starting to settle in with her words. He laid back on his bed, quiet for a moment, just staring up at his ceiling, until breaking into a grin. "Of course, Princess, we can talk about it." He closed his eyes softly, clenching his fist as he sent his warm light to her key.

"Mmm... Do you have an idea of how I will pay you back or are you leaving that a surprise?" He smirked, imagining the things he could he made to do, until he realized that she may do something to have fun and embarrass him. "..." She wouldn't do that... right?

"We can speak about it tomorrow. For now we both need to rest..." Lucy grinned feeling the warmth he sent her wrap arm her body like a pair of arms. It was just enough to snap her into over exhaustion.

"And don't worry, I won't embarrass you...too much.." She chuckled lightly as she nestled down into the covers, clenching the key tighter. Her tone mellowed out making it slightly squeakier than usual.

"And...do you mind sending some clothes my way? Or perhaps having Aries do so? I'd rather not have The Captain and her first mate bursting in again seeing me in the nude..." Her eyes drooped down as she let out a dainty yawn curling up against the fluffy pillow.

"And by the way..." Lucy lowered her voice into a hushed tone, a weak smirk forming at the edge of her lips.

"I do wish you were here...I miss you..."

Loke lay there feeling guilty. He stayed quiet for a little while longer simply staring up at his ceiling as she spoke. Her words pulled on his heart strings.

"... Summon me. I can't do it myself right now, but summon me." He requested. "I want to hold you until you fall asleep, stroke your hair...I should be able to stay for that long..." He motioned his hand to clear the ceiling from his view, revealing his constellation in the deep blue sky. Their light shimmered down on him as he waited for her reply.

"Mm..?" Lucy reopened her eyes feeling a goofy grin spread across her face. As much as she wanted him to be here, should he? Sighing deeply, Lucy stared down into the palm of her hand seeing Leo's key. The light wasn't as bright as it normally was which meant he was really low on magic. He needed to rest up.

"As much as I'd love that you need to heal properly...So for tonight I'll send you this..." Lucy pulled his key up to her lips kissing it for a moment before pulling back.

"I love you Loke, now please get some rest. You need it..." She frowned slightly, worried about him. He always pushed himself so hard for her...She felt that needed to step up her game.

He grumbled a little until she kissed his key, allowing a gentle smile creep up on his lips.

"You know, you could do one more thing..." The gentle smile twisted into a smirk as he lay there. "I'll keep you even warmer if you put the key some place warm..." He pursed his lips together, laughing a little. "Keep it safe and sound down your clevage... And I'll send Aries with some clothes.." Now he was being cheeky.

Lucy twitched her brow.

"Ugh...Go to sleep Loke!" Lucy huffed angrily and flipped to her other side, loosening the grip on her key.

"Now goodnight! Hmph!" The irritated mage nuzzled back down into the sheets, sighing at the cooling feeling. Her eyes shut completely. Lucy was in dire need of rest...

Loke laughed at her response. "You know it will help." He said, as a light appeared by Lucy's side. It was Aries with some clothes. Looks like he sent her anyway. "U-um... H-here are some c-clothes, Miss.. S-Sorry Leo sent me.." She muttered trying not to look at Lucy's nudeness.

"Nnnhh..." Lucy pulled the covers over her body seeing Aries standing before her. Since she knew the little ram was highly sensitive she didn't want to yell at her.

"Thank you Aries..."

The little ram pulled her balled fist up to her mouth and looking away shyly.

"Y-You're welcome! Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Lucy pulled the clothes underneath the covers and tilted her head back up to her spirit.

"As a matter of fact...there is one thing. Please make sure Leo is properly healed before returning...Take care if him for me Aries I trust you..."

Aries gulped down lowering her eyes sadly feeling a sudden tug at her heart.

"Y-Yes ma'am. I'll do my best..."

"Thank you Aries..."

The shy ram nodded slowly before bursting into a light fading back to the spirit world.

Lucy shuffled around under the covers pulling on the nice silk shorts with a fluff trim then the matching shirt. It was quite adorable.

Letting out a yawn, Lucy flopped down groaning cutely, slipping her Lions key right between her breast. She couldn't help but to smirk.

"Now, can we both get some rest?' The blonde begged feeling overly drained.

Feeling victorious and happy he replies, "Okay, okay I will go to sleep now..." He said cheerfully, but tired. "Hey Lucy..." He asked as he laid down getting comfortable. "I love you."

The lion smiled with a sleepy grin.

Lucy blushed hearing those sweet words escape his lips. The way he said it...There was no doubt that he truly did love her.

"And I love you..Loke..."

Sighing, she shut her eyes once more, parting her lips. The warmth coming from the key helped soothed her to the point not even moments later she was fast asleep.


End file.
